CVE-2013-5872 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Solaris 10 and 11.1 allows local users to affect availability via vectors related to Name Service Cache Daemon (NSCD).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-5872 resides within Oracle Solaris operating systems versions 10 and 11.1, specifically impacting the Name Service Cache Daemon component that serves as a critical caching mechanism for name resolution services. This unspecified weakness within the NSCD implementation creates a potential attack surface that local adversaries can exploit to compromise system availability. The Name Service Cache Daemon operates as a background service responsible for caching name service lookups including user names, group names, and network service information, making it a fundamental component of system authentication and network communication infrastructure.
The technical flaw manifests through unspecified vectors related to the NSCD service handling mechanisms, suggesting that the vulnerability likely involves improper input validation, memory management issues, or resource handling within the daemon's processing routines. Attackers with local access can potentially manipulate the NSCD service to cause system instability, process termination, or resource exhaustion that ultimately affects the availability of name resolution services. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of availability impact as defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, specifically relating to CWE-119 which encompasses weaknesses involving the exploitation of memory handling issues that can lead to service disruption.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to Solaris environments as local privilege escalation or exploitation can result in denial of service conditions that affect core system functionality. The NSCD daemon's role in caching name service information means that exploitation could potentially disrupt authentication services, network connectivity, and overall system responsiveness. Security professionals should note that local users with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness, making it particularly concerning for environments where privileged access is not strictly controlled. The attack surface is limited to local access but the impact can be substantial given NSCD's integral role in system operations.
Mitigation strategies should focus on applying Oracle's official security patches and updates that address the specific NSCD vulnerability. System administrators should also implement strict access controls and monitoring of local user activities to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining updated system components and following the principle of least privilege. Organizations should consider implementing additional monitoring for NSCD service behavior and resource utilization patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, emphasizing the need for comprehensive system hardening and regular vulnerability assessments. Regular security audits should include verification of NSCD configuration and monitoring for anomalous service behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts.