CVE-2002-0743 in AIX
Summary
by MITRE
mail and mailx in AIX 4.3.3 core dump when called with a very long argument, an indication of a buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/14/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0743 represents a critical buffer overflow condition affecting the mail and mailx utilities distributed with AIX 4.3.3 operating systems. This flaw manifests when these mail applications are invoked with excessively long command-line arguments, causing the applications to crash with a core dump. The buffer overflow occurs within the argument parsing mechanism of these utilities, where insufficient bounds checking allows input data to exceed allocated memory buffers. Such vulnerabilities fall under the CWE-121 category of Stack-based Buffer Overflow, where data written beyond the boundaries of a fixed-length buffer stored on the stack can overwrite adjacent memory locations including return addresses and other critical program state information.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer overflow scenario that can potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution. When the mail and mailx utilities process command-line arguments, they fail to properly validate the length of input parameters, leading to memory corruption that results in application termination. The core dump behavior indicates that the system's memory management mechanisms detect the overflow condition and trigger a crash, but the underlying vulnerability remains exploitable by malicious actors who could craft specially formatted inputs to manipulate program execution flow. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where AIX systems may be running with elevated privileges or where these utilities are used in automated scripts and system administration tasks.
The operational impact of CVE-2002-0743 extends beyond simple application crashes to encompass potential system stability and security risks. System administrators who rely on mail and mailx utilities for routine operations may experience unexpected service interruptions when these applications encounter malformed input parameters. The vulnerability creates an attack surface that could be exploited by adversaries to gain unauthorized access to systems, particularly in environments where these utilities are invoked with untrusted input from network services or user interactions. According to ATT&CK framework methodology, this vulnerability maps to T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application, where attackers can leverage application flaws to compromise system integrity. Organizations running AIX 4.3.3 systems are particularly vulnerable as this version predates many security hardening measures and patching mechanisms that would normally prevent such exploitation scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected AIX systems through official IBM security updates, as the vendor likely provided specific fixes for the mail and mailx utilities. System administrators should implement input validation measures that limit argument lengths before these utilities process them, effectively preventing the buffer overflow condition from occurring. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and privilege separation can limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and monitoring of mail service usage can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and patch management programs, particularly for legacy operating systems that may not receive ongoing security support. Organizations should consider migrating away from unsupported AIX versions to ensure continued security coverage and reduce exposure to similar historical vulnerabilities that remain unpatched in older system versions.