CVE-2002-0585 in HP-UX
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in ndd for HP-UX 11.11 with certain TRANSPORT patches allows attackers to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/15/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0585 represents a significant security weakness within the Network Data Daemon (NDD) component of HP-UX 11.11 operating systems. This issue specifically manifests when certain TRANSPORT patches are applied to the system, creating a condition that can be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt normal system operations. The NDD service serves as a critical interface for network configuration and management within HP-UX environments, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise network infrastructure. The flaw exists at the system call level where improper input validation or resource handling occurs, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged to cause system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling within the NDD implementation when processing specific network transport requests. When the affected TRANSPORT patches are installed, they modify the underlying network stack behavior in a way that exposes a race condition or buffer manipulation flaw. Attackers can craft malicious network packets or configuration commands that trigger an improper system response, leading to kernel-level resource exhaustion or memory corruption. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflows. The flaw essentially allows an unauthenticated attacker to send specially crafted network requests that cause the NDD service to crash or become unresponsive, effectively creating a denial of service condition.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-0585 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can compromise the entire network infrastructure that relies on HP-UX systems. Organizations running affected versions may experience complete network outages, particularly in mission-critical environments where system availability is paramount. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where unauthorized access is a constant threat. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network disruption attacks, and T1566.001, which involves spearphishing with social engineering. The exploitability of this condition means that even a single compromised system could potentially affect multiple networked devices that depend on the NDD service for proper operation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-0585 require immediate action from system administrators to address the vulnerable configuration. The most effective approach involves removing or carefully patching the problematic TRANSPORT patches that trigger the vulnerability, while ensuring that alternative security measures are implemented to maintain network functionality. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit the attack surface and deploy intrusion detection systems that can monitor for suspicious network traffic patterns associated with this vulnerability. Additionally, regular system auditing should be conducted to identify any other potentially vulnerable components within the HP-UX environment. The remediation process must be carefully planned to avoid disrupting legitimate network operations, as the NDD service is fundamental to network configuration management. Security teams should also consider implementing automated monitoring solutions that can detect abnormal service behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability may be used as part of broader attack campaigns targeting enterprise network infrastructure.