CVE-2006-1092 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the pagedata subsystem of the process file system (/proc) in Solaris 8 through 10 allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang or panic) via unknown attack vectors that cause cause the kmem_oversize arena to allocate a large amount of system memory that does not get freed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-1092 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Solaris operating system's process file system implementation. This issue resides in the pagedata subsystem which is responsible for managing memory pages and their associated data structures within the /proc filesystem. The vulnerability affects Solaris versions 8 through 10, indicating it was present across a significant portion of the Solaris 9 and 10 lifecycle. The flaw manifests as an unspecified attack vector that can be exploited by local users to trigger system instability through memory allocation manipulation.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the kmem_oversize arena, which is a specialized memory allocator designed to handle large memory allocations that exceed standard memory chunk sizes. When malicious or malformed input causes this arena to allocate excessive amounts of system memory, the allocated memory fails to be properly freed or returned to the system. This creates a memory leak scenario that progressively consumes available system resources, leading to system performance degradation and ultimately system hang or panic conditions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the kernel level within memory management subsystems, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard user-space security measures.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to system availability and stability. Local users who can exploit this vulnerability can effectively cause denial of service conditions that may require system reboot to resolve. The system hang or panic states can result in complete service interruption, data loss, and potential compromise of system integrity. Given that the vulnerability is local in nature, it requires the attacker to already have access to the system, but it can be particularly dangerous in environments where privilege escalation is possible or where system administrators may inadvertently execute malicious code. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can potentially expose underlying system instability that might be exploited by more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which addresses improper handling of memory allocation failures, and represents a classic case of memory leak in kernel space. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service, though the initial access requirement limits its classification to local privilege escalation rather than initial access. The attack surface is primarily through local system interaction, making it a potential vector for insider threats or compromised accounts. Mitigation strategies should include applying the appropriate Solaris patches and updates that address the memory management flaw in the pagedata subsystem. System administrators should also implement monitoring for unusual memory allocation patterns and consider implementing additional security controls to limit local user privileges where possible. Regular system updates and vulnerability assessments are essential to prevent exploitation of this and similar memory management vulnerabilities that could lead to system compromise.