CVE-2007-2990 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in inetd in Sun Solaris 10 before 20070529 allows local users to cause a denial of service (daemon termination) via unspecified manipulations of the /var/run/.inetd.uds Unix domain socket file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-2990 represents a significant security flaw within the inetd daemon implementation of Sun Solaris 10 operating systems prior to the 20070529 patch release. This issue specifically targets the inetd service which serves as a super-server daemon responsible for managing and launching network services on Unix-like systems. The vulnerability manifests through manipulations of the /var/run/.inetd.uds Unix domain socket file, which serves as a communication channel between the inetd daemon and its associated processes. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability manipulation techniques suggests that multiple attack vectors could potentially exploit this weakness, making it particularly concerning for system administrators who must secure their network services against diverse threat landscapes.
The technical flaw underlying this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and improper handling of the Unix domain socket file within the inetd daemon's operational context. When local users manipulate the /var/run/.inetd.uds file through unspecified means, the daemon experiences unexpected behavior that ultimately leads to its termination. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of denial of service attacks where an attacker can disrupt the availability of network services by causing critical system processes to crash or exit unexpectedly. The Unix domain socket file serves as a critical communication pathway for inetd operations, and any manipulation of this file can trigger cascading failures within the daemon's execution flow. The vulnerability demonstrates poor resource management practices and insufficient access controls that allow local users to interfere with system-critical services through file system manipulations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can potentially compromise the overall stability and availability of network services on affected Solaris systems. When the inetd daemon terminates unexpectedly, all network services that rely on this super-server mechanism become unavailable until the service is manually restarted or the system reboots. This disruption can affect critical network functions including but not limited to telnet, ftp, and other TCP services that depend on inetd for their operation. The local user exploitation aspect means that even users with minimal privileges can cause significant operational damage, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where privilege escalation is not required. System administrators face the challenge of maintaining service availability while dealing with potential malicious activity from local users who may exploit this weakness for disruptive purposes.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which addresses the issue of stack-based buffer overflow conditions that can lead to service disruption and denial of service scenarios. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to the T1499.004 technique related to network denial of service attacks and potentially T1068 which involves local privilege escalation through exploitation of system vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Sun Microsystems patch release from 20070529 that addresses this specific vulnerability in the inetd daemon implementation. Additionally, system administrators should monitor file system access patterns to the /var/run/.inetd.uds socket file and implement proper access controls to restrict unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper system hardening practices to prevent local users from exploiting fundamental service daemon flaws that can result in complete service outages and operational disruptions.