CVE-2004-0125 in FreeBSD
Summary
by MITRE
The jail system call in FreeBSD 4.x before 4.10-RELEASE does not verify that an attempt to manipulate routing tables originated from a non-jailed process, which could allow local users to modify the routing table.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-0125 represents a critical security flaw in the FreeBSD operating system's jail implementation that persisted through versions 4.x prior to 4.10-RELEASE. This issue specifically targets the system call interface that governs the manipulation of network routing tables within jailed environments. The fundamental problem lies in the absence of proper access control verification mechanisms within the jail system call implementation, creating a pathway for unauthorized modifications to the system's network routing infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests in the insufficient validation of process origins when routing table modifications are attempted within a jail environment. When a process executes a system call to manipulate routing tables, the FreeBSD kernel fails to properly verify whether the initiating process originated from a non-jailed environment. This oversight allows local users who have gained access to a jail environment to exploit this weakness and modify routing information that should remain protected from unauthorized alterations. The vulnerability essentially undermines the isolation properties that jails are designed to provide, creating a scenario where confined processes can affect the broader system network configuration.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant security implications for FreeBSD systems running affected versions. Local users who have established a jail environment can leverage this flaw to redirect network traffic, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, traffic interception, or network disruption. The ability to modify routing tables allows attackers to manipulate network paths, redirect communications, and potentially gain unauthorized access to network resources that would otherwise be protected by proper routing controls. This capability extends beyond simple network disruption to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks that rely on routing table manipulation as a vector for compromise.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and demonstrates a clear failure in implementing proper privilege verification for system calls. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to T1068, which involves privilege escalation techniques, and T1566, covering social engineering tactics that may be employed to gain initial access to the jail environment. Organizations running FreeBSD systems in environments where security isolation is critical must address this vulnerability through immediate patching or alternative mitigation strategies. The recommended solution involves upgrading to FreeBSD 4.10-RELEASE or later versions where proper access control verification has been implemented for routing table manipulations. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring controls to detect unauthorized routing table modifications that might indicate exploitation attempts.