CVE-2002-1474 in Tru64
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability or vulnerabilities in TCP/IP component for HP Tru64 UNIX 4.0f, 4.0g, and 5.0a allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1474 represents a critical flaw within the TCP/IP networking stack of Hewlett Packard's Tru64 UNIX operating systems version 4.0f, 4.0g, and 5.0a. This issue manifests as a remote denial of service condition that can be exploited by attackers positioned outside the network perimeter to disrupt network services and potentially compromise system availability. The affected TCP/IP component forms the foundational layer for network communications within these enterprise operating systems, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for mission-critical deployments where network uptime is essential. The vulnerability's classification as "unknown" suggests that the specific technical mechanism behind the flaw was not fully disclosed at the time of reporting, which is common for certain classes of network protocol vulnerabilities that may involve buffer overflows, improper state handling, or race conditions within the kernel's network processing routines. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of network protocol vulnerabilities that can be leveraged to exhaust system resources or trigger unexpected behavior in network stack implementations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability typically involves sending specially crafted network packets to the target system that cause the TCP/IP implementation to enter an invalid state or consume excessive system resources. Attackers can potentially trigger memory corruption, infinite loops, or other abnormal program execution paths that lead to system instability and eventual service disruption. The nature of TCP/IP protocol implementations means that such vulnerabilities can be particularly challenging to defend against since they often occur at the network layer where legitimate traffic and malicious traffic cannot be easily distinguished. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can potentially lead to complete system crashes or require manual intervention to restore normal operations, making it a significant concern for enterprise environments where uptime is paramount. The flaw likely resides in the kernel's handling of network packet processing or connection state management, potentially involving improper validation of packet headers, insufficient bounds checking, or inadequate error handling in network protocol parsing routines.
From an operational perspective, systems running affected versions of HP Tru64 UNIX are at substantial risk of experiencing service degradation or complete outages when subjected to this vulnerability. The remote nature of the attack means that organizations cannot rely solely on perimeter security measures to protect against exploitation, as attackers can initiate attacks from anywhere on the internet. Network administrators must consider the potential for cascading failures if multiple systems are running vulnerable versions, as a successful attack on one system could potentially be used as a foothold for broader network compromise. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions of the operating system indicates that HP may have been aware of the issue but failed to provide timely patches or updates, leaving organizations with limited options for immediate remediation. This type of vulnerability can be particularly problematic in environments where system updates are carefully managed or where the operating system is running legacy applications that cannot be easily upgraded, creating a window of exposure that attackers can exploit.
Organizations affected by CVE-2002-1474 should implement immediate mitigation strategies while planning for proper system updates and patches. The most effective approach involves applying the official security patches provided by HP for the affected Tru64 UNIX versions, which typically include kernel updates that address the specific TCP/IP implementation flaws. Network segmentation and access control measures can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflows, though the exact technical implementation may vary. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which involves network denial of service attacks, and may also relate to T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and block malicious network traffic patterns associated with this specific vulnerability, as well as establishing incident response procedures to quickly address exploitation attempts. The long-term solution requires migrating to supported operating system versions that have addressed these underlying TCP/IP implementation issues, though this may require careful planning to ensure compatibility with existing applications and infrastructure.