CVE-2002-0798 in HP-UX
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in swinstall for HP-UX 11.00 and 11.11 allows local users to view obtain data views for files that cannot be directly read by the user, which reportedly can be used to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-0798 affects the swinstall utility in HP-UX operating systems version 11.00 and 11.11, representing a significant security flaw that undermines the system's access control mechanisms. This issue resides within the software installation and management framework that governs how applications and system components are deployed on hp-ux systems. The vulnerability specifically targets the privilege escalation capabilities within the swinstall utility, which is designed to manage software packages and their associated file permissions during installation processes. When exploited, this flaw allows local users to bypass normal file access restrictions and gain unauthorized visibility into data that should remain protected from their direct access attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of file access controls within the swinstall utility's data view mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to leverage the installation tool's internal processes to indirectly access files that possess restrictive permissions, effectively creating a privilege escalation path that violates fundamental security principles. This occurs because the swinstall utility fails to properly validate or enforce access controls when generating data views for file operations, allowing local users to extract information from files that would normally be inaccessible due to permission restrictions. The underlying issue manifests when the utility processes file metadata or generates reports containing information about installed packages, inadvertently exposing sensitive data through its internal data presentation mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more severe security consequences including denial of service conditions. Attackers can exploit this weakness to cause system instability by manipulating the data views generated by swinstall, leading to resource exhaustion or process crashes that affect system availability. The vulnerability's local nature means that it requires an attacker to already have a foothold on the system, but once exploited, it can provide significant advantages for further compromise. The denial of service aspect of this vulnerability can be particularly damaging in production environments where system uptime and reliability are critical, as it allows attackers to disrupt normal operations without requiring elevated privileges beyond basic user access.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of improper access control (cwe-284) and privilege escalation (cwe-269) that violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control enforcement. The flaw aligns with attack techniques categorized under privilege escalation in the mitre att&ck framework, specifically targeting the execution of unauthorized operations through legitimate system utilities. Organizations running affected hp-ux versions should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, reviewing and tightening access controls for the swinstall utility, and monitoring system logs for suspicious activity related to software installation processes. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as file integrity monitoring and access logging to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain audit trails for forensic analysis.