CVE-2011-0829 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 10 and 11 Express allows local users to affect availability, related to Kernel/SPARC.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0829 represents a significant security flaw within the Oracle Solaris operating system family, specifically affecting versions 10 and 11 Express releases. This issue resides within the kernel component of the SPARC architecture implementation, making it particularly concerning for systems utilizing SPARC-based hardware platforms. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability description indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, though the classification as a kernel-level issue suggests it operates at a fundamental system level where privilege escalation or system stability could be compromised. The vulnerability's impact is categorized as affecting system availability, which implies that an attacker could potentially disrupt normal system operations or cause system crashes under certain conditions.
The technical flaw manifests within the SPARC kernel implementation where local users possess the capability to manipulate system resources in ways that could lead to denial of service conditions. This type of vulnerability typically exploits weaknesses in kernel memory management, interrupt handling, or system call processing specific to SPARC architectures. The local nature of the exploit means that an attacker must already have access to the system, either through legitimate user accounts or through other initial compromise methods, before attempting to leverage this vulnerability. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a privilege escalation vector that could potentially be combined with other vulnerabilities to achieve more severe outcomes such as complete system compromise or persistent access.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-0829 extends beyond simple availability disruption to potentially compromise the integrity and confidentiality of systems running affected Solaris versions. When a local user can affect system availability, they may be able to cause system crashes, reboot cycles, or resource exhaustion that could disrupt critical business operations. In enterprise environments where Solaris systems serve as core infrastructure components, such vulnerabilities could lead to significant downtime and financial losses. The SPARC architecture-specific nature of this vulnerability means that organizations with SPARC-based servers, particularly those in high-performance computing or financial services sectors, face heightened risk. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks, and CWE-119, which addresses weaknesses in memory management that could lead to system instability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-0829 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems through Oracle's security updates, as well as implementing additional security controls to limit local user privileges and monitor system behavior for signs of exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Solaris versions and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Network segmentation and privilege separation measures can help reduce the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, while continuous monitoring of system logs for unusual activity patterns may help detect exploitation attempts before they cause significant damage. The vulnerability's classification as a kernel-level issue also necessitates careful consideration of system hardening measures and regular security audits to ensure that additional vulnerabilities are not introduced through system modifications or third-party software installations.