CVE-2015-7403 in Spectrum Scale
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Spectrum Scale 4.1.1.x before 4.1.1.3 and General Parallel File System (GPFS) 3.5.x before 3.5.0.29 and 4.1.x through 4.1.0.8 on AIX allow local users to cause a denial of service (incorrect pointer dereference and node crash) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2022
IBM Spectrum Scale and General Parallel File System implementations contain a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability that manifests through incorrect pointer dereference conditions leading to system node crashes. This vulnerability affects specific versions of IBM Spectrum Scale 4.1.1.x before 4.1.1.3 and GPFS 3.5.x before 3.5.0.29 and 4.1.x through 4.1.0.8 running on AIX operating systems. The flaw occurs when local users exploit unspecified vectors that result in improper memory management during file system operations, causing the system to attempt to access invalid memory addresses and subsequently crash the entire node.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the file system kernel modules responsible for handling concurrent file operations and metadata management. When malicious local users trigger specific file system access patterns, the system's memory management subsystem fails to properly validate pointer references, leading to null pointer dereferences or invalid memory access violations. This condition directly maps to CWE-476 which describes NULL pointer dereference vulnerabilities, and potentially CWE-125 which covers out-of-bounds read conditions. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the node crash affects the entire distributed file system cluster, potentially causing data unavailability and requiring manual intervention for recovery operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to enterprise file system stability and availability. The denial of service condition affects not only the compromised node but can potentially cascade through the distributed file system architecture, impacting data access for multiple users and applications. System administrators must consider the potential for extended downtime during recovery operations, as node crashes require manual intervention to restart services and verify file system integrity. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in high-availability environments where automatic failover mechanisms may not adequately protect against node-level failures caused by this memory management flaw. Organizations utilizing these file systems in production environments face potential data loss risks and service interruptions that could impact business continuity.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patch application to versions 4.1.1.3 for Spectrum Scale and 3.5.0.29 for GPFS, which contain the necessary memory management fixes to prevent the incorrect pointer dereference conditions. Additionally, implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous file system access patterns and memory usage spikes may provide early warning of exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and privilege separation measures should be enforced to limit local user access to critical file system components. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation, and organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege controls to minimize potential impact. Regular vulnerability assessments and security audits of file system components should be conducted to identify similar memory management flaws that could potentially affect other system components or future releases.