CVE-2010-3405 in VIOS
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in sa_snap in the bos.esagent fileset in IBM AIX 6.1, 5.3, and earlier and VIOS 2.1, 1.5, and earlier allows local users to leverage system group membership and gain privileges via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3405 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the sa_snap component of IBM AIX operating systems and Virtual I/O Server environments. This flaw exists within the bos.esagent fileset and affects multiple versions including AIX 6.1, 5.3, and earlier releases, as well as VIOS 2.1, 1.5, and earlier versions. The buffer overflow occurs in the sa_snap utility which is responsible for snapshot operations within the system, creating a potential exploitation vector that could allow local attackers with system group membership to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to elevated system capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the sa_snap utility's memory handling mechanisms. When processing input data, the application fails to validate the length of buffer allocations, allowing an attacker to overflow the allocated memory space and potentially overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking permits memory corruption. The vulnerability's exploitation requires local system group membership, suggesting that attackers must first establish a foothold within the system before attempting privilege escalation through this specific vector.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-3405 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate system operations and potentially compromise the integrity of the entire AIX environment. Local users with system group privileges can leverage this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, effectively bypassing standard access controls and security boundaries. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and could enable attackers to gain root access or administrative capabilities within the system. The vulnerability's presence in both AIX and VIOS environments creates additional risk as these systems often serve critical infrastructure functions including virtualization and system management operations.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly under the privilege escalation category where adversaries seek to gain higher-level permissions. The attack vector requires local system access, making it more difficult to exploit remotely but still represents a significant threat in environments where local access is possible. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying vendor patches, restricting local system group memberships, and monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management practices in system-level utilities, as demonstrated by the failure to properly handle buffer boundaries in the sa_snap component. Regular security assessments and code reviews should focus on identifying similar buffer overflow conditions within system utilities and applications to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.