CVE-2007-6505 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Solaris 9, with Solaris Auditing enabled and certain patches for sshd installed, can generate audit records with an audit-ID of 0 even when the user logging into ssh is not root, which makes it easier for attackers to avoid detection and can make it more difficult to conduct forensics activities.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-6505 represents a significant weakness in the Solaris 9 operating system's auditing mechanism when combined with specific sshd configurations. This flaw manifests when Solaris Auditing is enabled alongside certain patches for the Secure Shell daemon, creating a condition where audit records are generated with a null audit-ID of zero regardless of the actual user account that successfully authenticates through ssh. The fundamental issue lies in the improper handling of audit identifiers during the authentication process, where the system fails to correctly assign unique audit identifiers to different user sessions.
This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and reliability of system audit trails by creating misleading audit records that do not accurately reflect the actual user context of authentication events. The technical flaw stems from the failure of the auditing subsystem to properly distinguish between different user accounts when generating audit records, effectively collapsing all non-root user sessions into a single audit record with identifier zero. This misconfiguration violates the core principles of audit logging as outlined in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework under CWE-1187, which addresses improper access control in auditing systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple logging inaccuracies to create substantial security implications for forensic investigations and threat detection. Attackers can exploit this weakness by creating false audit trails that appear to originate from root accounts, making it significantly more difficult for security analysts to trace malicious activities back to their actual source. This obfuscation capability undermines the effectiveness of security monitoring systems and can mask unauthorized access attempts, privilege escalation attempts, and other malicious activities within the system. The forensic implications are particularly severe as investigators must account for the possibility that audit records may not accurately represent the true sequence of events during security incidents.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including disabling Solaris Auditing when it is not actively required, ensuring proper patch management for sshd components, and implementing additional monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous authentication patterns. The mitigation strategies should align with established security frameworks such as those recommended in the MITRE ATT&CK matrix for credential access and defense evasion techniques. System administrators should also consider implementing supplementary logging mechanisms that can independently verify authentication events and cross-reference them with the flawed audit records. Additionally, regular audit trail validation procedures should be established to identify and correct discrepancies in audit data that may result from this vulnerability. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining proper audit trail integrity as specified in security standards and best practices for system hardening and incident response activities.