CVE-2012-3276 in OpenVMS
Summary
by MITRE
HP OpenVMS 8.3, 8.3-1H1, and 8.4 on the Itanium platform and 7.3-2, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 on the Alpha platform does not properly implement the LOGIN and ACME_SERVER ACMELOGIN programs, which allows local users to cause a denial of service via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/02/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3276 affects Hewlett Packard's OpenVMS operating system versions across multiple platform architectures including Itanium and Alpha processors. This security flaw resides within the authentication and login mechanisms of the system, specifically impacting the LOGIN and ACME_SERVER ACMELOGIN programs that handle user authentication processes. The issue represents a significant concern for system availability and security integrity within enterprise environments that rely on OpenVMS for critical operations.
The technical implementation flaw manifests in the improper handling of authentication processes within the OpenVMS operating system's login subsystem. When local users interact with the LOGIN or ACMELOGIN programs, the system fails to properly validate or manage the authentication flow, creating potential pathways for system instability. This improper implementation allows malicious or unintended local users to exploit the authentication mechanisms through unspecified vectors that could trigger system crashes or resource exhaustion conditions. The vulnerability specifically targets the core authentication infrastructure rather than network-facing services, making it particularly dangerous for local privilege escalation scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially compromise the entire system availability. Local users who can exploit this flaw may cause the system to become unresponsive or require manual intervention to restore normal operations. Given that OpenVMS systems often serve as critical infrastructure platforms in enterprise environments, such a vulnerability could result in significant business disruption and require immediate remediation efforts. The impact is particularly severe because it affects multiple versions of the operating system across different hardware platforms, indicating a fundamental flaw in the authentication implementation rather than a localized issue.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official HP security patches and updates. System administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all impacted systems and implement proper access controls to limit local user privileges where possible. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 access control weaknesses and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts, as it could potentially allow attackers to maintain persistent access through compromised authentication mechanisms. Regular monitoring of system logs for authentication failures and unusual login patterns should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, maintaining comprehensive backup and recovery procedures is essential to ensure rapid restoration of services in case of successful exploitation attempts.