CVE-2002-1817 in Cluster Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in Veritas Cluster Server (VCS) 1.2 for WindowsNT, Cluster Server 1.3.0 for Solaris, and Cluster Server 1.3.1 for HP-UX allows attackers to gain privileges via unknown attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/04/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1817 represents a critical security weakness within Veritas Cluster Server implementations across multiple operating systems including Windows NT, Solaris, and HP-UX platforms. This issue affects specific versions of the Veritas Cluster Server software, namely version 1.2 for Windows NT, version 1.3.0 for Solaris, and version 1.3.1 for HP-UX, indicating a widespread concern within enterprise clustering environments that rely on Veritas technologies for high availability solutions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from unspecified attack vectors that enable unauthorized privilege escalation within the clustered environment. Given that Veritas Cluster Server operates at the core of enterprise high availability systems, this weakness could potentially allow attackers to elevate their privileges beyond normal operational boundaries. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that the vulnerability may involve multiple pathways including but not limited to improper access controls, insecure authentication mechanisms, or flawed privilege management within the cluster coordination services.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments that depend on Veritas Cluster Server for mission-critical applications. The ability to gain elevated privileges within a clustered environment could enable attackers to compromise entire cluster configurations, manipulate data consistency mechanisms, or gain access to sensitive operational information. Organizations utilizing these specific versions of Veritas Cluster Server face potential exposure to unauthorized system access, data manipulation, or complete system compromise depending on the nature of the privilege escalation vectors.
The vulnerability aligns with common security weaknesses categorized under CWE-264, which addresses permissions, privileges, and access controls within software systems. This classification indicates that the issue fundamentally involves improper handling of access control mechanisms within the cluster server implementation, potentially allowing unauthorized users to perform operations that should be restricted to privileged administrators. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the cluster management interfaces and underlying operating system access controls.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available versions of Veritas Cluster Server. Organizations must conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all systems running the vulnerable versions and implement mandatory upgrade procedures. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit exposure of cluster management interfaces to trusted networks only. Additionally, implementing comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect anomalous privilege escalation attempts and conducting regular security audits of cluster configurations will help identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for enterprise clustering solutions, as these systems often serve as primary targets for sophisticated attackers seeking to compromise entire enterprise infrastructures through single points of failure.