CVE-2004-1355 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in the TCP/IP stack for Sun Solaris 8 and 9 allows local users to cause a denial of service (system panic) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-1355 represents a critical flaw within the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol stack implementation of Sun Solaris operating systems version 8 and 9. This issue manifests as a local privilege escalation vector that can trigger system-wide panic conditions, effectively rendering the affected systems unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability exists within the kernel-level networking components that handle TCP/IP communications, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users with minimal system access privileges.
Technical analysis reveals that this vulnerability stems from improper handling of specific network packet structures or protocol state transitions within the TCP/IP stack implementation. The exact mechanism involves malformed packet processing or buffer management errors that cause the kernel to enter an inconsistent state, ultimately leading to a system panic or crash. This type of vulnerability typically falls under the category of kernel-level memory corruption issues that can be triggered through carefully crafted network traffic or system calls. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-119, which encompasses weaknesses in memory management. The local nature of the exploit means that an attacker must already have access to the system, but the impact can be devastating as it affects system availability rather than confidentiality or integrity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system downtime, as it can result in complete service disruption for network-dependent applications and services. Organizations running Solaris 8 or 9 systems are particularly vulnerable since these versions lack proper input validation and error handling mechanisms within their TCP/IP stack implementations. The system panic condition can cause data loss, application failures, and require manual intervention to restore normal operations, significantly impacting business continuity. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability is classified under the MITRE ATT&CK framework as a system panic or crash technique, specifically categorized under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics. The local exploitation requirement means that attackers typically need either physical access or the ability to execute code on the target system, but once exploited, the impact is immediate and severe.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-1355 should prioritize immediate system updates and patches provided by Sun Microsystems, as these releases contain corrected TCP/IP stack implementations that address the specific kernel-level flaws. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit local user privileges and reduce the attack surface. System administrators should also monitor for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts and establish robust backup and recovery procedures to minimize downtime during incident response. Additionally, implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed packet patterns and network anomalies can provide early warning capabilities for potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date system patches and the critical need for proper input validation in kernel-level network implementations to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.