CVE-2013-4011 in AIX
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the InfiniBand subsystem in IBM AIX 6.1 and 7.1, and VIOS 2.2.2.2-FP-26 SP-02, allow local users to gain privileges via vectors involving (1) arp.ib or (2) ibstat.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4011 represents a critical privilege escalation issue within the InfiniBand subsystem of IBM AIX operating systems. This vulnerability affects multiple versions including AIX 6.1 and 7.1, as well as VIOS 2.2.2.2-FP-26 SP-02, creating a significant security risk for enterprise environments that rely on high-performance computing infrastructure. The InfiniBand subsystem is fundamental to data center networking and high-speed interconnectivity, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations dependent on these systems.
The technical flaw manifests through two specific vectors involving arp.ib and ibstat components within the InfiniBand subsystem. These components are responsible for managing address resolution and system status information respectively, yet they contain unspecified vulnerabilities that allow local attackers to exploit privilege escalation mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control checks within these system utilities, enabling malicious users with local access to elevate their privileges and potentially gain administrative control over the affected systems.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to enterprise security postures as local privilege escalation attacks are often difficult to detect and can provide attackers with persistent access to critical infrastructure. The impact extends beyond simple privilege elevation, as successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of high-performance computing environments. Organizations running AIX systems with InfiniBand networking capabilities face potential exposure to unauthorized access and system manipulation through these attack vectors.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-269 Privilege Escalation and CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write patterns commonly found in operating system kernel modules and system utilities. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1068 Privilege Escalation and T1548.001 Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism, representing a classic local privilege escalation attack vector that requires minimal prerequisites. Organizations should implement immediate patching strategies and monitor for suspicious local account activity while considering enhanced access controls and privilege management policies to mitigate potential exploitation of these vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies should include applying the appropriate IBM security patches and updates for the affected AIX versions, implementing network segmentation to limit local access to critical systems, and establishing robust monitoring for privilege escalation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regularly audit system configurations to ensure that unnecessary local access permissions are removed. Additionally, organizations should maintain comprehensive incident response procedures that account for local privilege escalation attacks and regularly test their detection capabilities against known exploit patterns associated with this vulnerability.