CVE-2016-15024 in shadow
Summary
by MITRE • 02/19/2023
A vulnerability was found in doomsider shadow. It has been classified as problematic. Affected is an unknown function. The manipulation leads to denial of service. Attacking locally is a requirement. Continious delivery with rolling releases is used by this product. Therefore, no version details of affected nor updated releases are available. The name of the patch is 3332c5ba9ec3014ddc74e2147190a050eee97bc0. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. VDB-221478 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-15024 resides within the doomsider shadow system, a component that appears to be part of a larger software ecosystem utilizing continuous delivery with rolling release methodologies. This classification as a problematic vulnerability indicates a significant security concern that requires immediate attention. The affected function remains unspecified in the available documentation, which complicates the precise identification of the attack surface and potential exploitation vectors. The vulnerability's designation as a denial of service issue suggests that malicious actors could potentially disrupt system operations and availability, though the requirement for local attack access limits the scope of potential exploitation to systems with direct access to the target environment.
The technical flaw manifests in an unknown function within the doomsider shadow implementation, where manipulation of specific inputs or system states can trigger a denial of service condition. This type of vulnerability typically arises from insufficient input validation, improper error handling, or resource management issues within the affected code segment. The fact that local attack access is required indicates that the vulnerability likely involves system-level operations or privileged functions that are not exposed to external network interfaces. This characteristic places the vulnerability within the realm of privilege escalation or local exploitation scenarios rather than remote code execution vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this denial of service vulnerability can be substantial for systems relying on continuous delivery practices with rolling releases. When a denial of service condition occurs, it can disrupt normal system operations and potentially affect the entire deployment pipeline. The continuous delivery model, while beneficial for rapid deployment and updates, creates additional complexity in vulnerability management since multiple versions may be running simultaneously in production environments. The lack of specific version details for affected or updated releases creates challenges for security teams attempting to assess their exposure and implement appropriate remediation measures. This situation is particularly concerning for systems where rolling releases are implemented without proper version control and change management processes.
The patch identified by the hash 3332c5ba9ec3014ddc74e2147190a050eee97bc0 represents the official fix for this vulnerability and should be applied immediately to all affected systems. Security teams should prioritize this patch deployment as part of their vulnerability management processes, particularly given the denial of service nature of the flaw. The recommended patching approach should include thorough testing in staging environments before deployment to production systems to ensure that the fix does not introduce regressions or compatibility issues within the continuous delivery pipeline. Organizations should also implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts of this vulnerability.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses unchecked resource consumption, and potentially CWE-121, concerning stack-based buffer overflows, though the exact technical implementation requires further analysis. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under T1499, which involves network disruption, and potentially T1068, involving local privilege escalation, depending on the specific exploitation method. The local attack requirement suggests that this vulnerability may also relate to T1059, command and scripting interpreter, if exploitation involves executing malicious commands within the target system. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of this component and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place for future similar issues.
The absence of specific version information highlights a critical gap in the vendor's vulnerability disclosure process, which can hinder effective risk assessment and remediation planning. Security professionals should consider implementing additional monitoring controls and access restrictions for systems containing this vulnerable component. The continuous delivery environment necessitates a robust patch management strategy that can accommodate rapid release cycles while maintaining security posture. This vulnerability underscores the importance of comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle, particularly for components that operate with elevated privileges or system-level access. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can effectively respond to denial of service attacks targeting their continuous delivery infrastructure.