CVE-2009-2912 in OpenSolaris
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) sendfile and (2) sendfilev functions in Sun Solaris 8 through 10, and OpenSolaris before snv_110, allow local users to cause a denial of service (panic) via vectors related to vnode function calls.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-2912 represents a critical denial of service flaw affecting Sun Solaris operating systems from version 8 through 10, along with OpenSolaris prior to snv_110. This issue specifically targets the sendfile and sendfilev system calls which are fundamental components for efficient data transfer between file descriptors. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of vnode function calls within these operations, creating a condition where malicious local users can trigger system panics through carefully crafted input sequences. The affected functions operate at a low level within the kernel, making them particularly dangerous as they can disrupt core system operations and potentially lead to complete system crashes.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient validation and error handling within the kernel's vnode subsystem when processing sendfile and sendfilev operations. When these functions receive malformed or unexpected parameters, they fail to properly validate the input before proceeding with vnode operations, leading to memory corruption and subsequent system instability. This flaw falls under the category of improper input validation and kernel memory management issues, aligning with CWE-125 for buffer over-read and CWE-248 for uncaught exception conditions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only local user privileges to exploit, making it accessible to any user with system access and potentially allowing for privilege escalation scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to system availability and stability in enterprise environments running affected Solaris versions. The denial of service condition can cause complete system panics, requiring manual intervention and system restarts to restore normal operations. This impacts not only individual systems but can cascade across networked environments where Solaris systems serve critical functions such as file serving, web hosting, or database operations. The vulnerability's exploitation can occur through various attack vectors including malformed network requests or direct system calls, making it difficult to fully mitigate without comprehensive system updates. Organizations relying on these older Solaris versions face potential service interruptions and increased operational overhead due to the need for emergency patches and system maintenance.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-2912 primarily involve applying official security patches from Oracle that address the kernel-level vulnerabilities in the sendfile and sendfilev functions. System administrators should prioritize updating affected Solaris installations to versions that include the necessary fixes, as manual workarounds are limited due to the deep kernel integration of these functions. Network segmentation and access control measures can help reduce the attack surface by limiting local user access to systems running vulnerable versions. Additionally, monitoring for unusual system behavior or panic messages can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service and demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date system patches as part of comprehensive security management programs. Organizations should also consider implementing automated patch management solutions to ensure timely deployment of security updates across their Solaris infrastructure.