CVE-2005-1591 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unknown vulnerability in NIS+ on Solaris 7, 8, and 9 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (rpc.nisd disabled and NIS+ unavailable) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1591 represents a critical security flaw within the Network Information Service Plus NIS+ implementation on Solaris operating systems version 7, 8, and 9. This issue specifically targets the rpc.nisd daemon which serves as the core service responsible for maintaining NIS+ directory services and enabling distributed network information management. The vulnerability manifests as a remote denial of service condition that effectively disables the rpc.nisd process and renders the entire NIS+ infrastructure unavailable to legitimate users and applications within the network environment. The affected systems are particularly vulnerable because NIS+ serves as a fundamental component for user authentication, group management, and network resource discovery in enterprise Solaris deployments, making this vulnerability a significant threat to network operations and security posture.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves unknown attack vectors that allow remote adversaries to trigger a condition resulting in the rpc.nisd daemon termination and subsequent unavailability of NIS+ services. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of remote denial of service attacks where the attacker can manipulate the system through network-based means without requiring local access or authentication credentials. The rpc.nisd daemon typically operates on port 135 and is responsible for handling NIS+ requests from client systems, making it a prime target for service disruption attacks. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability would be categorized under CWE-119 which encompasses weaknesses related to insufficient control of resource identifiers, particularly when resource management fails to properly handle service availability and process lifecycle management.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-1591 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader network reliability and security implications. When the rpc.nisd daemon becomes disabled, all NIS+ client systems lose access to critical network information services including user accounts, group memberships, and network resource mappings. This affects authentication mechanisms, file access controls, and network service availability across the enterprise infrastructure. The vulnerability particularly impacts environments where NIS+ is heavily relied upon for centralized user management and system administration, as administrators lose the ability to perform essential network operations. Additionally, the service disruption can trigger cascading failures in applications and services that depend on NIS+ for their operation, potentially leading to extended downtime and productivity losses.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to NIS+ services, implementing firewall rules to limit rpc.nisd daemon exposure, and applying available security patches from Oracle. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1499 sub-technique for network denial of service, specifically targeting service availability as a means to disrupt operations. System administrators should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect abnormal service termination patterns and establish incident response procedures for rapid recovery. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate potential service disruption vectors. Organizations should also evaluate their reliance on legacy NIS+ infrastructure and consider migrating to more modern authentication and directory services such as LDAP or Kerberos to reduce exposure to similar vulnerabilities in the future.