CVE-2011-2290 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 10, and 11 Express allows local users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Kernel/sockfs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2290 represents a critical security flaw within the Oracle Solaris operating system family affecting both Solaris 10 and Solaris 11 Express editions. This issue resides within the kernel component specifically related to the sockfs filesystem implementation, which is responsible for managing socket filesystem operations in the Solaris environment. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability 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 unauthorized access or manipulation could occur.
The technical flaw manifests within the kernel's handling of socket filesystem operations through the sockfs subsystem, which serves as an interface for socket communication within the operating system. This vulnerability enables local attackers who already have access to the system to potentially disrupt system availability through mechanisms that are not fully detailed in the public record. The sockfs filesystem operates as a virtual filesystem that provides access to socket information and communication channels, making it a critical component for network operations and system stability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to system availability and stability for organizations running affected Solaris versions. Local users who exploit this vulnerability could potentially cause system crashes, service disruptions, or denial of service conditions that would affect the overall operation of critical systems. The local privilege requirement means that attackers must already have some level of access to the system, but once compromised, they could potentially cause widespread availability issues that affect network services and system responsiveness. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the availability component of the CIA triad and can be classified under CWE-119 as a weakness related to insufficient protection of memory or resources.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is primarily through local system access, making it a concern for environments where privileged access is not properly controlled or where users have legitimate access to system resources but could be compromised through social engineering or other means. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to cause system instability or complete system crashes, potentially requiring system restarts and resulting in service interruptions that could affect business operations. The impact extends beyond simple availability issues as system crashes could potentially lead to data corruption or loss of system state information, particularly in environments where system reliability is critical.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the appropriate Oracle Solaris patches and updates that address this kernel-level vulnerability. System administrators should also review access controls and privilege management to minimize the risk of local exploitation, as the vulnerability requires local access to be exploited effectively. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual system behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly around socket filesystem operations. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patches in development environments before deployment to production systems to ensure that the updates do not introduce compatibility issues or unexpected behavior in existing applications. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit local system access where possible, following principles from the ATT&CK framework that emphasize reducing attack surface and limiting privilege escalation opportunities. The vulnerability represents a classic example of how kernel-level flaws can be exploited to cause availability issues, making it essential for system administrators to maintain current patch management processes and security monitoring capabilities to protect against such threats.