CVE-2002-1622 in AIX
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in certain RPC routines in IBM AIX 4.3 may allow attackers to execute arbitrary code, related to a "variable data type."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1622 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the remote procedure call implementations of IBM AIX 4.3 operating systems. This flaw exists in the handling of variable data types within RPC routines, creating a pathway for malicious actors to potentially gain unauthorized code execution privileges. The issue stems from insufficient input validation and boundary checking mechanisms that fail to properly manage the size of data being processed through remote procedure calls. Such buffer overflows typically occur when programs write more data to a fixed-length buffer than it can accommodate, leading to memory corruption that attackers can exploit to overwrite critical program execution elements.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting specially malformed RPC requests that trigger the buffer overflow condition in the affected IBM AIX 4.3 systems. When the RPC service processes these malformed inputs, the excessive data overflows into adjacent memory regions, potentially corrupting the instruction pointer or other critical execution context elements. This memory corruption allows attackers to redirect program execution flow and inject malicious code that executes with the privileges of the affected RPC service. The vulnerability specifically targets the variable data type handling mechanisms within the RPC framework, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple services that rely on these routines for inter-process communication.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations utilizing IBM AIX 4.3 systems, particularly those with network-accessible RPC services. The potential for remote code execution means that attackers could gain complete system compromise without requiring local access or authentication credentials. The impact extends beyond individual system compromise to potentially enable lateral movement within network environments where RPC services are widely deployed. Organizations running older AIX versions may face challenges in implementing immediate mitigations due to the age of the affected software, though the severity of the vulnerability necessitates prompt remediation efforts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in system-level programming.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1622 should prioritize immediate patching through official IBM security updates, as the vulnerability has been addressed through vendor-provided fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to RPC services and employ firewalls to restrict unnecessary RPC traffic. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious RPC activity and implementing intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of how improper input handling can lead to privilege escalation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving code injection and privilege escalation, specifically targeting the execution and persistence phases of the attack lifecycle. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime protections and code integrity checks to detect and prevent exploitation attempts against similar buffer overflow vulnerabilities.