CVE-2002-1129 in Tru64
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in dxterm allows local users to execute arbitrary code via a long -xrm argument.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1129 represents a classic buffer overflow flaw within the dxterm terminal emulator application. This issue resides in the handling of command-line arguments, specifically the -xrm option which is used to specify resource manager arguments for the X Window System. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly validate the length of input provided through the -xrm argument, allowing an attacker to supply an excessively long string that exceeds the allocated buffer space. Such buffer overflow conditions are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected process.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental lack of input validation and bounds checking within the dxterm application's argument parsing mechanism. When processing the -xrm command-line option, the software does not enforce reasonable limits on the input length, creating an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious input that overflows the designated buffer. This type of vulnerability falls under the common weakness enumeration CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions that occur when insufficient bounds checking is performed on data structures. The attack vector is local, meaning that an attacker must already have access to the system to exploit this vulnerability, but the potential impact remains significant as it could allow privilege escalation or complete system compromise.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to systems running affected versions of dxterm, particularly in environments where local user access is not strictly controlled. The exploitability of this flaw is enhanced by the fact that it requires minimal privileges to execute, as local users typically have the ability to run terminal applications. The potential impact includes unauthorized code execution, data compromise, and system integrity violations that could be leveraged to establish persistent access or escalate privileges within the affected system. Organizations utilizing older versions of the X Window System terminal emulators may be particularly vulnerable, as this type of buffer overflow has been well-documented in the cybersecurity community for many years and has been addressed in subsequent software releases.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1129 should focus on immediate software updates and patches provided by the vendor, as well as operational controls to limit local user access to potentially vulnerable applications. System administrators should ensure that all terminal emulators and X Window System components are kept up to date with the latest security patches, as this vulnerability has been known and addressed in newer versions of the software. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and bounds checking mechanisms within application code can prevent similar issues from occurring in other software components. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual command-line argument patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies that restrict execution of potentially vulnerable applications unless absolutely necessary, and conduct regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities throughout their computing infrastructure. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the execution of malicious code through local system access and command-line interface manipulation.