CVE-2009-0277 in OpenSolaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the kernel in OpenSolaris snv_100 through snv_102 on the Sun UltraSPARC T2 and T2+ sun4v platforms allows local users to cause a denial of service (panic) via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-0277 represents a critical kernel-level weakness affecting OpenSolaris systems running on Sun UltraSPARC T2 and T2+ processors in the sun4v platform architecture. This issue manifests as an unspecified flaw within the kernel implementation that enables local attackers to trigger system-wide panic conditions resulting in complete denial of service. The vulnerability specifically impacts OpenSolaris releases ranging from snv_100 through snv_102, indicating a sustained period of exposure across multiple versions of the operating system. The affected hardware platform, Sun UltraSPARC T2 and T2+, operates under the sun4v virtualization framework which adds complexity to the exploitation vectors and system impact analysis.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation or improper error handling within kernel components responsible for managing system resources and hardware interactions on the UltraSPARC T2 architecture. As a local privilege escalation vector, the flaw requires an attacker to already possess user-level access to the system, but the consequences are severe enough to compromise entire system availability. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways within the kernel codebase could potentially trigger the panic condition, making the vulnerability particularly challenging to fully characterize and patch. This type of vulnerability typically involves memory corruption, invalid pointer dereferences, or improper handling of system calls that ultimately lead to kernel panic states.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to OpenSolaris deployments in enterprise environments where system uptime and reliability are paramount. The denial of service condition results in complete system crashes requiring manual intervention and reboot cycles, potentially disrupting critical services and applications running on these systems. The local nature of the exploit means that attackers do not require network access or elevated privileges beyond basic user accounts, making the vulnerability accessible to anyone with physical or remote access to the target system. Organizations running OpenSolaris on UltraSPARC T2 hardware face potential operational disruptions that could affect database services, web applications, and other mission-critical workloads depending on the system availability requirements.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which addresses "Improper Access to Memory" and represents a classic example of kernel-level memory corruption that leads to system instability. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers "Network Denial of Service" and T1547 which addresses "Boot or Logon Autostart Execution' as system restarts and panic conditions may require manual intervention. Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of vendor patches and updates, implementation of proper access controls to limit local user privileges, and monitoring systems to detect unusual panic events or system restart patterns. System administrators should also consider implementing additional redundancy measures and automated failover mechanisms to minimize the impact of such disruptions on business operations and service availability.