CVE-2007-4353 in AIX
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple buffer overflows in IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 allow local users in the system group to gain root privileges via unspecified vectors involving the (1) chpath, (2) rmpath, and (3) devinstall programs in bos.rte.methods.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-4353 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw affecting IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 operating systems. This issue manifests through buffer overflow conditions in three specific system utilities that are part of the bos.rte.methods package, which are fundamental components of the AIX operating system's device management infrastructure. The affected programs chpath, rmpath, and devinstall are designed to handle device path operations and system device installation processes, making them critical touchpoints for system administrators and device management operations. These utilities are particularly significant because they are typically executed with elevated privileges and are accessible to users within the system group, creating a pathway for local attackers to exploit the system.
The technical flaw stems from improper input validation and memory handling within these three programs, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overflow buffers and overwrite critical memory segments. When these utilities process user-supplied input, they fail to properly validate the length of data being processed, enabling malicious input to exceed allocated buffer boundaries. This buffer overflow condition can be exploited to overwrite return addresses, function pointers, or other critical control data structures within the program's memory space. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because these programs are designed to operate with system privileges, and the buffer overflow allows local users who are already part of the system group to manipulate the execution flow and escalate their privileges to root level access. The exploitation requires the attacker to have local access to the system and membership in the system group, but the privilege escalation is complete once successful.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted across enterprise computing environments. Organizations running IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 systems are at significant risk of complete system compromise when this vulnerability is exploited, as attackers can gain root access to perform unauthorized modifications, data exfiltration, or persistent system footholds. The vulnerability affects the core device management capabilities of AIX systems, potentially allowing attackers to modify system device configurations, install malicious drivers, or manipulate system boot processes. Given that these utilities are frequently used for system maintenance and device management, the attack surface is considerable, and the vulnerability can be exploited through normal system operations. The impact extends beyond immediate privilege escalation to include potential denial of service conditions, as the buffer overflows may cause system crashes or unpredictable behavior in the affected programs.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics outlined in the ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and defense evasion. The technique leverages the principle of least privilege violation by using legitimate system utilities to gain elevated access, which can bypass many traditional security controls that focus on network-based attacks. From a CWE perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant IBM security patches, restricting access to these utilities for non-privileged users, and monitoring system logs for suspicious execution patterns of the affected programs. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing mandatory access controls and privilege separation mechanisms to reduce the attack surface and limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability underscores the importance of regular security patching and proper privilege management in enterprise environments, as it demonstrates how seemingly routine system utilities can become critical attack vectors when proper input validation is absent.