CVE-2003-1062 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in the sysinfo system call for Solaris for SPARC 2.6 through 9, and Solaris for x86 2.6, 7, and 8, allows local users to read kernel memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1062 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Solaris operating system's sysinfo system call implementation. This weakness affects multiple versions of Solaris across both sparc and x86 architectures, specifically targeting releases from version 2.6 through 9 for sparc platforms and versions 2.6, 7, and 8 for x86 platforms. The vulnerability resides in the kernel-level system call interface that provides system information to user-space applications, creating an exploitable condition where unauthorized access to kernel memory segments becomes possible.
The technical flaw manifests through improper validation and access control mechanisms within the sysinfo system call implementation. When local users execute this system call, they can manipulate the input parameters to traverse kernel memory boundaries and read data from restricted memory locations. This occurs due to insufficient bounds checking and memory protection enforcement within the kernel's response handling for system information requests. The vulnerability is classified as a memory disclosure issue that directly violates the principle of least privilege and kernel isolation, allowing user-space processes to access sensitive kernel data structures and potentially extract confidential information such as cryptographic keys, system credentials, or other privileged data.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications for systems running affected Solaris versions. Local attackers who already have user-level access can escalate their privileges by reading kernel memory contents, potentially discovering sensitive system information that could facilitate further exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it can provide attackers with insights into kernel memory layout, system configuration, and potentially exploitable weaknesses that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or system compromise. The widespread deployment of affected Solaris versions in enterprise environments increases the potential attack surface significantly.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and represents a classic example of improper access control leading to unauthorized data disclosure. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to T1005 (Data from Local System) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as attackers can leverage this to extract system information and potentially establish persistence. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires local system access but does not necessitate elevated privileges, making it particularly concerning for environments where privilege separation is not properly enforced. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching affected systems, disabling unnecessary system calls, and monitoring for anomalous sysinfo system call usage patterns.
Mitigation strategies should focus on applying official security patches from Oracle that address the kernel memory access control flaws. System administrators should also consider implementing kernel security modules that restrict access to sensitive system calls and monitor for suspicious sysinfo usage patterns. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining instances of affected Solaris versions. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper kernel memory protection mechanisms and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of system call interfaces to prevent unauthorized memory access and maintain system integrity across all supported platforms.