CVE-2007-4793 in AIX
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in xlplm in plm.server.rte in IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-4793 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the xlplm component of IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 operating systems. This issue resides within the plm.server.rte package, which is part of IBM's Performance Management and Load Balancing suite designed for enterprise computing environments. The buffer overflow occurs in the xlplm module, which handles specific runtime operations for performance monitoring and load balancing functions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects local users who can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges within the system.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow stems from improper input validation and memory management within the xlplm module. When processing certain inputs or parameters, the module fails to properly bounds-check buffer allocations, allowing malicious data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This memory corruption can potentially be exploited to overwrite critical program variables, return addresses, or function pointers, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the exact exploitation methods may vary, but they all ultimately leverage the same underlying buffer overflow vulnerability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments running IBM AIX 5.2 and 5.3 systems. Local privilege escalation vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow attackers who already have limited user access to elevate their privileges to root or administrative levels. This could enable unauthorized access to sensitive system resources, data theft, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within the network. The impact extends beyond individual system compromise to potentially affect entire enterprise infrastructures relying on these AIX versions for mission-critical applications.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and may also relate to CWE-122, heap-based buffer overflow, depending on the specific memory allocation patterns used in the xlplm module. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques under the T1068 tactic, specifically targeting local privilege escalation through software exploitation. Organizations should consider implementing comprehensive monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts and ensure proper patch management protocols are in place to address this vulnerability. The remediation approach requires immediate application of IBM security patches or updates for the affected AIX versions, along with thorough system hardening measures to limit local user access and reduce the attack surface.