CVE-2013-3786 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 9, 10, and 11 allows local users to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors related to Kernel.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
This vulnerability resides within the kernel component of Oracle Solaris operating systems across versions 9, 10, and 11, representing a critical security flaw that enables local attackers to compromise system integrity and confidentiality. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors suggests a fundamental weakness in kernel-level operations that could be exploited through various attack paths. The kernel serves as the core of the operating system where critical system functions are managed, making any vulnerability in this component particularly dangerous as it can potentially allow privilege escalation and system compromise.
The technical flaw manifests as a weakness in kernel memory management or system call handling that allows local users to manipulate system resources in ways that should normally be restricted. This type of vulnerability typically involves improper validation of kernel operations or insufficient access controls that permit unauthorized modifications to system state. The impact spans all three pillars of the CIA triad, indicating that the vulnerability could enable attackers to read sensitive data, modify system configurations, and potentially cause system disruption or denial of service conditions. Such comprehensive impact suggests the vulnerability may involve critical kernel subsystems like memory management, process scheduling, or device driver handling.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations running affected Solaris versions as local access typically requires minimal privileges to obtain, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user access is not strictly controlled. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects multiple versions of the operating system, potentially impacting legacy systems that may not receive regular updates. The unspecified vectors indicate that the exact exploitation mechanism may not be well-documented, which could make detection and remediation more challenging for security teams. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 which deals with improper access to kernel memory and represents a classic example of kernel-level privilege escalation that could be leveraged for persistent system compromise.
The threat landscape for this vulnerability is particularly concerning as it allows for potential privilege escalation and system takeover from local user accounts. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges, access sensitive system information, or corrupt system data. The availability impact suggests potential for system instability or denial of service conditions that could disrupt critical business operations. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to limit local access privileges and establish robust monitoring for unusual kernel activity. This vulnerability also represents a potential target for advanced persistent threat actors who might use it as a foothold for broader system compromise.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected systems, though the unspecified nature of the vulnerability vectors may require careful testing before deployment. System administrators should implement strict access controls and monitoring to detect unauthorized kernel-level modifications. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following the principle of least privilege. Organizations should also consider implementing kernel integrity protection mechanisms and regular security assessments to identify similar weaknesses. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of kernel security and the potential for local privilege escalation vulnerabilities to cause widespread system compromise. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting kernel-level operations that enable attackers to gain elevated system privileges and access protected resources.