CVE-2004-0139 in IRIX
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in the bsd.a kernel networking for SGI IRIX 6.5.22 through 6.5.25, and possibly earlier versions, in which "t_unbind changes t_bind s behavior," has unknown impact and attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0139 represents a critical kernel-level networking flaw within the SGI IRIX operating system family, specifically affecting versions 6.5.22 through 6.5.25 and potentially older iterations. This issue resides within the bsd.a kernel networking subsystem, which forms the foundational networking layer for the IRIX operating system. The vulnerability manifests through an interaction between two fundamental networking primitives: t_unbind and t_bind operations. These operations control how network endpoints are bound and unbound within the transport layer, making them critical components for network communication management.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the improper handling of state transitions between bound and unbound network endpoints within the kernel networking stack. When t_unbind is invoked on a transport endpoint that was previously bound through t_bind, the system exhibits unpredictable behavior that can fundamentally alter how subsequent t_bind operations function. This creates a cascade effect where the normal operating state of the networking subsystem becomes compromised, potentially leading to denial of service conditions or unauthorized access to network resources. The vulnerability's classification as "unknown impact and attack vectors" suggests that the exact nature of the behavioral changes and exploitation methods were not fully documented at the time of reporting.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple network disruption, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate the fundamental networking behavior of affected IRIX systems. Systems running these vulnerable versions could experience complete network service failures, with applications unable to establish or maintain network connections properly. The unpredictable nature of the behavior change makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be exploited to create persistent network access issues or potentially allow for privilege escalation within the kernel space. Network administrators would face significant challenges in diagnosing and mitigating this issue due to the non-deterministic nature of the affected behavior.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system updates and patches from SGI, as the affected versions of IRIX are no longer supported by the vendor. Organizations maintaining legacy IRIX systems should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit potential exploitation surfaces. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper state management in kernel networking code and highlights the risks associated with complex interactions between system primitives. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-691, which addresses inadequate protection of code against code injection and improper state management. The attack surface for this vulnerability would be particularly relevant to the ATT&CK framework's network effects and privilege escalation techniques, as it could enable attackers to manipulate the fundamental networking behavior of systems. Given the age of the affected versions and the lack of available patches, system administrators should consider migrating to supported operating systems or implementing robust network monitoring to detect anomalous network behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts.