CVE-2008-5910 in OpenSolaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in txzonemgr in Sun OpenSolaris has unknown impact and local attack vectors, related to a "Temporary file vulnerability," aka Bug ID 6653462.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5910 represents a temporary file vulnerability within the txzonemgr component of Sun OpenSolaris operating system. This issue stems from improper handling of temporary files during the execution of zone management operations, creating potential security risks that could be exploited by local attackers. The vulnerability is classified as unspecified in terms of its exact impact and attack vectors, which indicates the severity and specific exploitation methods were not clearly defined in the initial reporting. The bug ID 6653462 provides additional context for tracking and remediation purposes within Sun's internal bug tracking systems.
The technical flaw manifests in how txzonemgr manages temporary files during zone configuration and management processes. When the system creates temporary files for zone operations, it fails to properly secure these files or ensure their creation occurs in secure directories with appropriate permissions. This temporary file handling weakness can lead to race conditions where malicious users might attempt to manipulate or replace temporary files with malicious content before they are processed by the system. The vulnerability specifically affects the local attack surface since attackers must already have access to the system to exploit this weakness, though the impact could be significant once successfully exploited.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation or denial of service scenarios. Local attackers could potentially manipulate zone configurations, compromise system integrity, or gain unauthorized access to zone-specific resources through manipulation of temporary files. This type of vulnerability undermines the security model of zone-based virtualization that OpenSolaris employs, where zones are designed to provide isolation between different system environments. The risk is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments where zone isolation is critical for maintaining security boundaries between different users or applications.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the broader ATT&CK framework, particularly under the techniques related to privilege escalation and local persistence. The temporary file vulnerability aligns with tactics such as "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" and "File and Directory Permissions Weakness" as outlined in MITRE ATT&CK. From a CWE perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery, though more specifically relates to CWE-377: Insecure Temporary File and CWE-378: Creation of Temporary File With Insecure Permissions. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of temporary file creation patterns and ensure proper permissions are enforced during zone management operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of the affected OpenSolaris systems, as well as implementing additional security controls around temporary file handling. System administrators should review and tighten permissions on temporary file directories, implement proper file locking mechanisms during temporary file creation, and consider implementing automated monitoring for suspicious temporary file operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices in system management components, emphasizing the need for proper resource cleanup and secure temporary file creation. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of all zone management components and ensure that similar vulnerabilities are not present in other system management tools or services. Regular security audits of system components that handle temporary files should be implemented to prevent similar issues from emerging in the future.