CVE-2004-1833 in Interbase
Summary
by MITRE
The admin.ib file in Borland Interbase 7.1 for Linux has default world writable permissions, which allows local users to gain database administrative privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1833 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw in Borland Interbase 7.1 for Linux systems. This issue stems from improper file permission configuration where the admin.ib file, which serves as the administrative database file for the Interbase database management system, is created with world-writable permissions by default. The admin.ib file contains critical administrative credentials and database access controls that are essential for maintaining system security and access management within the Interbase environment.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability manifests as a classic permission misconfiguration issue that directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and access control. When a file is created with world-writable permissions, any local user on the system can modify, delete, or overwrite the file contents. In the context of the admin.ib file, this means that unauthorized local users can manipulate the administrative database to gain full administrative privileges over the Interbase database system. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege as defined in the CWE taxonomy under CWE-732, which specifically addresses incorrect permissions for critical resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations running Borland Interbase 7.1 on Linux platforms. Local users who exploit this vulnerability can gain complete administrative control over the database system, enabling them to modify database schemas, extract sensitive data, delete critical information, and potentially compromise the entire database infrastructure. This privilege escalation allows attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and operate with full administrative rights, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where database administrators need to maintain strict access controls. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor for any local user to assume administrative responsibilities without proper authorization.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including privilege escalation through permissions manipulation and credential access through file system access. The attack surface is minimal since only local users need to exploit this issue, but the potential damage is significant as it provides complete administrative access to the database system. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including correcting file permissions to restrict write access to the admin.ib file, establishing proper access controls, and conducting security audits to identify other potential permission misconfigurations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security configuration management and the need for regular security assessments of database systems to prevent such fundamental access control failures from persisting in production environments.