CVE-2007-5716 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Internet Protocol (IP) functionality in Sun Solaris 10 allows local users to cause a denial of service (panic) via unspecified vectors, probably related to a UDP packet.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-5716 represents a critical security flaw within the Internet Protocol implementation of Sun Solaris 10 operating system. This issue manifests as an unspecified weakness in the IP functionality that specifically affects the handling of UDP packets, creating a potential vector for local attackers to trigger system-wide denial of service conditions. The vulnerability's classification as a local privilege escalation risk indicates that exploitation requires prior access to the system, though the impact remains severe enough to warrant immediate attention from system administrators and security professionals.
The technical nature of this vulnerability places it within the realm of kernel-level flaws that can cause system instability through improper packet handling mechanisms. When malformed or specially crafted UDP packets are processed by the affected Solaris 10 systems, the kernel's IP processing routines fail to properly validate input data, leading to system panic conditions that effectively crash the operating system. This type of vulnerability typically stems from inadequate bounds checking or buffer overflow protection mechanisms within the network stack implementation, allowing malicious input to corrupt kernel memory structures or trigger unexpected execution paths that result in system termination.
From an operational standpoint, the impact of CVE-2007-5716 extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass potential system compromise and data integrity concerns. Local attackers who can execute code on the target system can leverage this vulnerability to cause repeated system panics, effectively rendering the affected servers unusable for their intended purposes. The vulnerability's potential for exploitation aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, where adversaries seek to leverage system weaknesses to gain persistent access or disrupt operations. The fact that this affects the core IP functionality means that any network-dependent services running on the compromised system will be immediately impacted, potentially affecting critical infrastructure components.
Security professionals should prioritize patching systems running Sun Solaris 10 to address this vulnerability, as the window for exploitation remains open for systems that have not received the appropriate security updates from Oracle. The vulnerability's classification as a kernel-level flaw makes it particularly dangerous because it operates at the most fundamental level of system operation, where traditional application-level protections may not be sufficient to prevent exploitation. Organizations should implement network segmentation strategies to limit local access privileges and establish monitoring protocols that can detect unusual system panic events or network traffic patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, the presence of this vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and error handling in kernel space code, as outlined in CWE categories related to improper input validation and kernel memory corruption. System administrators should consider implementing additional monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where Solaris 10 systems remain operational. The long-term solution requires comprehensive system updates and migration away from unsupported operating system versions, as Sun Solaris 10 reached end-of-life status and no longer receives security updates from Oracle, leaving systems vulnerable to continued exploitation of known flaws like CVE-2007-5716.