CVE-2011-2313 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 10 allows local users to affect availability, related to ZFS.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2313 represents a significant security flaw within Oracle Solaris 10 operating system, specifically affecting the ZFS (Zettabyte File System) component. This issue falls under the broader category of availability impacts, indicating that malicious local users can potentially disrupt system operations and compromise the reliability of the affected system. The ZFS filesystem, which is integral to Solaris 10's storage management capabilities, serves as a critical foundation for data integrity and system stability, making any vulnerability in this component particularly concerning for enterprise environments.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from unspecified conditions within the ZFS implementation that can be exploited by local attackers who already have access to the system. While the exact technical mechanism remains unspecified in the CVE description, such vulnerabilities typically involve race conditions, buffer overflows, or improper input validation within kernel-level filesystem operations. The fact that this affects local users suggests that the vulnerability does not require network access or remote exploitation, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by any user with legitimate system access, including potentially compromised accounts or insider threats. This aligns with CWE-119, which encompasses weaknesses related to improper access to memory, and represents a classic example of a local privilege escalation or denial of service vulnerability.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to enterprise environments running Solaris 10 systems, particularly those with multiple users or shared workloads. The availability impact means that successful exploitation could result in system crashes, filesystem corruption, or complete service disruption, potentially affecting critical business operations. Organizations utilizing ZFS for their storage infrastructure face particular risk, as the vulnerability could compromise the integrity of their data storage systems and potentially lead to extended downtime. The local nature of the exploit means that organizations must also consider insider threat mitigation strategies and implement proper access controls to prevent unauthorized users from leveraging this vulnerability. This vulnerability can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1068, which covers local privilege escalation, demonstrating the multi-faceted nature of the threat.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-2313 should focus on immediate patch management and system hardening measures. Oracle would have released security patches addressing this specific ZFS vulnerability, and system administrators should prioritize applying these updates across all affected Solaris 10 installations. Additionally, implementing robust access controls and monitoring for unusual system behavior can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and principle of least privilege to limit the potential impact of local privilege escalation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and demonstrates the critical need for comprehensive vulnerability management programs that address both remote and local threats. Given that Solaris 10 is an older operating system, organizations should also evaluate migration strategies to newer supported versions that may have improved security controls and better vulnerability management capabilities, as older systems often contain unpatched vulnerabilities that pose ongoing risks to enterprise security postures.