CVE-2003-1496 in Tru64
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in CDE dtmailpr of HP Tru64 4.0F through 5.1B allows local users to gain privileges via unknown attack vectors. NOTE: due to lack of details in the vendor advisory, it is not clear whether this is the same issue as CVE-1999-0840.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2003-1496 represents a privilege escalation weakness within the Common Desktop Environment CDE dtmailpr component of HP Tru64 Unix operating systems. This issue affects versions 4.0F through 5.1B, indicating a significant timeframe of exposure where systems were potentially vulnerable to local attackers seeking elevated privileges. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors in the original vendor advisory creates uncertainty about the precise exploitation mechanism, though the local privilege escalation aspect suggests attackers must already have user-level access to the system to leverage this vulnerability. The vulnerability's classification as a privilege escalation issue aligns with CWE-264, which encompasses permissions, privileges, and access control weaknesses in software systems.
The technical flaw manifests within the CDE dtmailpr utility, which is part of the Common Desktop Environment framework used for email handling in HP Tru64 systems. This component likely contains insecure coding practices or improper privilege management that allows local users to manipulate system resources or execute commands with elevated privileges. The vulnerability's local nature means that exploitation requires an attacker to already possess legitimate user credentials or system access, but the ultimate goal is to elevate those privileges to root or administrative levels. This type of vulnerability typically involves weaknesses in how the application handles user input, process privileges, or file access permissions. The attack surface likely involves improper validation of user-supplied data or inadequate privilege separation mechanisms within the dtmailpr utility.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to HP Tru64 systems running affected versions, particularly in enterprise environments where local access might be more prevalent due to legitimate user activities or administrative requirements. The local privilege escalation capability means that even a low-privilege user could potentially gain complete system control, leading to data compromise, system corruption, or further network infiltration. Organizations running these systems face potential exposure during the vulnerability's lifespan, with the risk being particularly high in environments where user access controls are not strictly enforced or where legitimate users might be compromised. The vulnerability's potential relationship to CVE-1999-0840 suggests this might represent a recurring issue in the CDE email handling components, indicating deeper architectural problems rather than isolated incidents.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2003-1496 should prioritize immediate system hardening and patch management approaches. Organizations should implement strict access controls and monitor for unauthorized local access to systems running affected versions of HP Tru64. The most effective long-term solution involves applying the appropriate vendor patches or upgrading to supported versions of the operating system where these vulnerabilities have been addressed. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as discretionary access controls, mandatory access controls, and privilege separation mechanisms to limit the potential impact of local privilege escalation attacks. The ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques would be relevant here, particularly focusing on local privilege escalation tactics that exploit software vulnerabilities to gain elevated system access. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their CDE implementations and consider migrating away from deprecated desktop environments to more modern, secure alternatives.