CVE-2002-1543 in NetBSD
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in trek on NetBSD 1.5 through 1.5.3 allows local users to gain privileges via long keyboard input.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1543 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the trek game application running on NetBSD operating systems version 1.5 through 1.5.3. This issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms that fail to properly handle excessive keyboard input sequences, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by local attackers to escalate their privileges. The trek game, which is a text-based space exploration game included in the NetBSD distribution, serves as the attack vector for this privilege escalation vulnerability.
The technical implementation of this buffer overflow occurs when the trek application processes keyboard input without proper bounds checking on the length of user-provided data. Specifically, the application allocates a fixed-size buffer to store keyboard input but does not validate that the incoming data remains within these predetermined limits. When local users provide keyboard input exceeding the buffer capacity, the excess data overflows into adjacent memory regions, potentially overwriting critical program variables, return addresses, or other memory structures. This overflow condition creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate program execution flow and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant security risk to NetBSD systems running affected versions of the trek game. Local users who can access the system and execute the trek application can exploit this flaw to gain root privileges, effectively bypassing normal access controls and system protections. The attack requires only local system access and does not necessitate network connectivity or specialized external conditions, making it particularly concerning for multi-user environments where privilege separation is essential. The vulnerability essentially undermines the principle of least privilege by allowing unauthorized elevation of privileges through a seemingly benign gaming application.
The exploitability of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions that occur when insufficient bounds checking allows data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack pattern follows established techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation tactics, specifically targeting local user accounts to gain administrative access. Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in system applications, particularly those that may be executed by unprivileged users. The issue also highlights the broader concern of gaming and entertainment applications in operating systems serving as unexpected attack vectors for privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate system updates to NetBSD versions that contain patches addressing the buffer overflow condition in the trek application. System administrators should also implement comprehensive input validation measures and consider disabling unnecessary applications that may present similar attack surfaces. Additionally, deploying runtime protections such as stack canaries and address space layout randomization can provide defense-in-depth measures against exploitation attempts. Regular security audits of system applications and careful monitoring of privilege escalation attempts should be implemented as part of ongoing security management practices to identify and address similar vulnerabilities in other system components.