CVE-2011-2910 in ax25-tools
Summary
by MITRE
The AX.25 daemon (ax25d) in ax25-tools before 0.0.8-13 does not check the return value of a setuid call. The setuid call is responsible for dropping privileges but if the call fails the daemon would continue to run with root privileges which can allow possible privilege escalation.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2910 resides within the AX.25 daemon component of the ax25-tools package, specifically affecting versions prior to 0.0.8-13. AX.25 protocol implementation is fundamental to amateur radio packet radio networks, enabling communication between radio stations using specific network layer protocols. This daemon serves as the core service responsible for managing AX.25 connections and network operations within amateur radio environments, making it a critical component for radio operators and network administrators who rely on these communication systems.
The technical flaw manifests in the daemon's failure to validate the return value of a setuid system call that is intended to drop administrative privileges after initialization. In Unix-like operating systems, the setuid mechanism allows programs to temporarily execute with the privileges of the file owner rather than the user who invoked the program. When a setuid program successfully executes, it typically transitions from root privileges to a less privileged user account to minimize potential security impact. However, in this case, the ax25d daemon executes the setuid call but does not verify whether this operation succeeded, creating a dangerous condition where the program continues running with elevated privileges even when privilege dropping fails.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-252, which describes an "Unchecked Return Value" condition where a function call that should be verified for success or failure is not checked. The operational impact of this flaw is significant as it creates a persistent privilege escalation vector. When the daemon fails to properly drop privileges, it continues operating with root-level access, which provides an attacker who can influence the daemon's execution or environment with complete system control. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability that can be exploited by local users or potentially remote attackers who can trigger the daemon's execution under controlled conditions.
The potential attack surface extends beyond simple local privilege escalation, as demonstrated by ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers "Local Privilege Escalation." An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain root access to systems running affected versions of ax25-tools, potentially compromising the entire network infrastructure that relies on these amateur radio communication protocols. The impact is particularly concerning in environments where amateur radio networks interface with critical infrastructure or where these systems are not properly secured. The vulnerability affects systems where the ax25d daemon is actively running and where users have the ability to influence the daemon's execution environment, making it a persistent threat in poorly configured amateur radio networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-2910 require immediate patching of the ax25-tools package to version 0.0.8-13 or later, which contains the necessary fix to properly check the return value of the setuid call. System administrators should also implement proper privilege separation practices and ensure that all setuid programs properly validate their privilege dropping operations. Additionally, monitoring should be implemented to detect unauthorized access attempts or abnormal daemon behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper error handling in security-critical code and serves as a reminder of the dangers associated with unchecked system calls in privilege management code. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit potential exploitation vectors while awaiting patch deployment.