CVE-2002-2000 in ACMS
Summary
by MITRE
ACMS 4.3 and 4.4 in OpenVMS Alpha 7.2 and 7.3 does not properly use process privileges, which allows attackers to access data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-2000 affects the Application Control Management System ACMS version 4.3 and 4.4 running on OpenVMS Alpha operating systems version 7.2 and 7.3. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the system's access control mechanisms that fundamentally undermines the security posture of affected environments. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of process privilege handling within the ACMS framework, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to sensitive data resources.
The technical flaw manifests in the system's failure to correctly enforce privilege boundaries during process execution. When ACMS handles process operations, it does not adequately validate or enforce the privilege levels associated with different system operations. This misconfiguration allows processes running with lower privilege levels to potentially escalate their privileges or bypass normal access controls that should restrict data access. The vulnerability specifically impacts the privilege management subsystem where process privileges are not properly enforced or validated during critical system operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations running affected OpenVMS systems. Attackers who can exploit this flaw gain unauthorized access to data that should be protected by the system's privilege model, potentially leading to data breaches, information disclosure, and compromise of sensitive system information. The vulnerability affects the core security architecture of the system, making it particularly dangerous as it undermines fundamental access control mechanisms that protect against unauthorized data access.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-264, which describes "Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls" weaknesses in software systems. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in how the system manages and enforces access controls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques where adversaries exploit weak privilege enforcement to gain higher-level system access. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient privilege checking in system calls, allowing attackers to bypass normal security boundaries.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from OpenVMS vendors, reviewing and strengthening privilege management policies, and implementing additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts. System administrators should also conduct thorough privilege audits to identify any potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional access control layers beyond the default system mechanisms. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper privilege management in operating system security and the need for comprehensive security testing of core system components.