CVE-2013-3797 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 11 allows local users to affect availability via unknown vectors related to Filesystem/DevFS.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3797 resides within Oracle Solaris 11 operating system and represents a significant security flaw affecting the filesystem and DevFS components. This unspecified weakness allows local attackers with system access to potentially disrupt system availability through mechanisms related to device file system operations. The vulnerability specifically targets the DevFS subsystem which manages device files and their associated permissions within the Solaris operating environment, creating potential pathways for denial of service attacks that could compromise system stability and operational continuity.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation or access control mechanisms within the DevFS implementation in Solaris 11. Local users who can execute code on the system may exploit this weakness to manipulate device file operations in ways that could lead to system resource exhaustion, process termination, or complete system instability. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple attack pathways may exist within the DevFS subsystem, potentially involving improper handling of device file creation, modification, or access operations that could be leveraged to cause system-wide availability issues.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on Solaris 11 systems as it allows privilege escalation from local user accounts to system-level availability disruption. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially compromising critical system functions that depend on proper device file management. Attackers could exploit this weakness to create cascading failures within the operating system's device management infrastructure, affecting system responsiveness and potentially requiring complete system restarts to restore normal operations. This vulnerability directly impacts the availability component of the CIA triad and could be particularly damaging in mission-critical environments where system uptime is essential.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's official patches and updates to address the DevFS-related vulnerability in Solaris 11 systems. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected Solaris versions and implement monitoring controls to detect anomalous device file operations. The mitigation strategy should also include restricting local user privileges where possible and implementing proper access controls to minimize the attack surface. Organizations should consider network segmentation and enhanced logging of device file operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 which addresses improper output handling and CWE-310 which deals with cryptographic issues, though the specific manifestation in DevFS creates unique operational challenges that require targeted defensive measures. The attack surface for this vulnerability fits within ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers network denial of service attacks and T1068 which addresses local privilege escalation, making it a critical concern for system security teams responsible for maintaining operational resilience against both internal and external threats.