CVE-2008-2946 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
The SNMP-DMI mapper subagent daemon (aka snmpXdmid) in Solstice Enterprise Agents in Sun Solaris 8 through 10 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via malformed packets.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-2946 affects the SNMP-DMI mapper subagent daemon, commonly known as snmpXdmid, which is part of the Solstice Enterprise Agents suite in Sun Solaris operating systems ranging from version 8 through 10. This daemon serves as a bridge between SNMP monitoring systems and DMI (Desktop Management Interface) data, enabling system administrators to gather hardware and configuration information through standard SNMP protocols. The flaw resides in the daemon's insufficient input validation mechanisms when processing incoming SNMP packets, specifically those containing DMI data structures. When malformed or specially crafted packets are received by the snmpXdmid service, the daemon fails to properly handle the unexpected data structures, leading to memory corruption and subsequent daemon crash. This vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow scenario where the daemon attempts to parse malformed DMI data without adequate bounds checking, resulting in an uncontrolled termination of the service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be exploited by remote attackers to perform denial of service attacks against Solaris systems. The snmpXdmid daemon typically runs with elevated privileges to access hardware information, making this attack vector particularly dangerous as it can potentially be leveraged to disrupt critical system monitoring and management functions. When the daemon crashes, it leaves the system without the ability to provide DMI-based information through SNMP queries, which can affect network management tools, system monitoring applications, and automated alerting systems that depend on this data. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Solaris systems are commonly used for server infrastructure and where SNMP monitoring is extensively deployed for operational oversight. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a significant weakness in the input validation controls that should be implemented in network services to prevent malformed data from causing service interruptions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-2946 should focus on both immediate defensive measures and long-term system hardening approaches. System administrators should immediately apply the appropriate security patches provided by Sun Microsystems, which typically involve updating the Solstice Enterprise Agents package to a version that includes proper input validation for DMI data parsing. Network-level mitigations can include implementing firewall rules to restrict access to the SNMP ports (typically UDP 161 and 162) from trusted sources only, and deploying network monitoring tools to detect unusual patterns of SNMP traffic that might indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1499.004 technique for Network Denial of Service, emphasizing the importance of protecting network services from malformed packet attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can monitor for suspicious SNMP traffic patterns and establish regular vulnerability scanning procedures to identify systems running unpatched versions of the affected software. Additionally, system administrators should review and tighten access controls for SNMP services, ensuring that only authorized management stations can communicate with these critical network services. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in network-facing services and serves as a reminder that even seemingly benign monitoring tools can become attack vectors when proper security controls are not implemented.