CVE-2008-3426 in OpenSolaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Solaris Platform Information and Control Library daemon (picld) in Sun Solaris 8 through 10, and OpenSolaris builds snv_01 through snv_95, allows local users to cause a denial of service via unknown vectors that prevent operation of utilities such as prtdiag, prtpicl, and prtfru.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/15/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-3426 affects the Solaris Platform Information and Control Library daemon known as picld which serves as a critical component in Sun Solaris operating systems from version 8 through 10 and OpenSolaris builds snv_01 through snv_95. This daemon operates as a background service responsible for collecting and managing platform-specific information and control functions within the Solaris environment. The daemon's primary role includes providing system information to various utility programs such as prtdiag for platform diagnostics, prtpicl for platform configuration information, and prtfru for field replaceable unit details. These utilities depend on picld to function properly and provide accurate system information to administrators and support tools.
The technical flaw within picld manifests as an unspecified vulnerability that allows local users to trigger a denial of service condition by exploiting unknown vectors within the daemon's operation. While the exact technical details of the vulnerability remain unspecified in the public description, the impact is clearly demonstrated through the disruption of essential system utilities. The vulnerability specifically targets the daemon's ability to maintain proper service availability, causing operational failures in critical diagnostic and information retrieval tools. This represents a significant security concern because these utilities are fundamental to system administration, troubleshooting, and maintenance operations within Solaris environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it fundamentally compromises the ability of system administrators to perform essential diagnostic functions and maintain system integrity. When picld becomes unresponsive or crashes due to this vulnerability, the affected utilities prtdiag, prtpicl, and prtfru cannot provide accurate system information, making it difficult for administrators to assess hardware status, configuration details, or perform necessary maintenance tasks. This vulnerability essentially creates a situation where local users can degrade system management capabilities and potentially hinder emergency response procedures that depend on accurate platform information. The denial of service affects not only the immediate utility functions but also impacts the overall reliability and maintainability of Solaris systems in production environments.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which addresses weaknesses in memory management and buffer overflows that can lead to service disruption. The local privilege escalation aspect of this vulnerability means that any user with access to the system can potentially exploit it without requiring elevated privileges, making it particularly concerning for multi-user environments. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this under privilege escalation and denial of service techniques where adversaries can manipulate system services to prevent normal operation of critical functions. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of picld daemon behavior and establish regular patch management procedures to address such vulnerabilities. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the appropriate security patches from Sun Microsystems and implementing access controls that limit local user privileges where possible. Additionally, system administrators should monitor for unusual daemon behavior and maintain backup procedures for system diagnostics that do not rely entirely on the affected utilities.