CVE-2011-0489 in Objectivity
Summary
by MITRE
The server components in Objectivity/DB 10.0 do not require authentication for administrative commands, which allows remote attackers to modify data, obtain sensitive information, or cause a denial of service by sending requests over TCP to (1) the Lock Server or (2) the Advanced Multithreaded Server, as demonstrated by commands that are ordinarily sent by the (a) ookillls and (b) oostopams applications. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0489 represents a critical authentication flaw within Objectivity/DB 10.0 database server components that fundamentally undermines the security posture of the system. This issue affects the Lock Server and Advanced Multithreaded Server components, which are essential elements of the database infrastructure designed to manage concurrent access and thread management respectively. The flaw stems from the absence of proper authentication mechanisms for administrative commands, creating an attack surface that allows unauthenticated remote exploitation. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles by permitting any remote attacker to execute privileged operations without proper verification of identity or authorization credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the lack of authentication checks on specific administrative commands that are typically restricted to authorized administrative processes. Attackers can exploit this by sending specially crafted TCP requests to the vulnerable server components, bypassing normal security controls that should govern access to critical database operations. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects core database infrastructure components rather than application-level interfaces, meaning that successful exploitation can lead to comprehensive system compromise. The demonstration of the attack vector involves using legitimate administrative tools such as ookillls and oostopams, which are normally restricted to authorized administrative users, but can be invoked remotely without authentication. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization controls where the system fails to properly verify the identity of requestors before executing privileged operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple data exposure, encompassing complete system compromise and potential data integrity violations. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to modify database contents, extract sensitive information, or disrupt service availability through denial of service attacks. The ability to stop or kill database processes without authentication creates opportunities for service disruption attacks that could render the database unavailable to legitimate users. The vulnerability affects the fundamental integrity of the database system by allowing unauthorized modification of critical system state through administrative commands. This type of flaw directly maps to CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues, and aligns with ATT&CK techniques for privilege escalation and defense evasion. The impact is particularly severe because it affects database infrastructure components that are essential for maintaining data consistency and system availability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper authentication mechanisms for all administrative interfaces and ensuring that privileged operations require valid credentials. Organizations should immediately implement network segmentation to restrict access to database server components, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. The most effective remediation involves updating to patched versions of Objectivity/DB that include proper authentication controls for administrative commands. Security configurations should enforce strict access controls and implement network-level protections such as firewalls and access control lists to prevent unauthorized TCP connections to vulnerable server ports. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unauthorized access attempts to administrative interfaces, providing visibility into potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify other similar authentication weaknesses in their database infrastructure and implement principle of least privilege access controls for all administrative operations.