CVE-2017-10036 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: NFSv4). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via NFSv4 to compromise Solaris. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Solaris. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.5 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-10036 represents a critical availability flaw within the Network File System version 4 implementation of Oracle Solaris operating systems. This weakness resides in the NFSv4 subsystem of the Sun Systems Products Suite, specifically affecting Solaris versions 10 and 11. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers can leverage this flaw without requiring authentication or specialized privileges, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where NFS services are actively exposed. The attack vector is accessible through standard network connections, requiring only that an attacker can reach the target system's NFSv4 service ports.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of certain NFSv4 protocol operations that lead to system instability when processed by the Solaris kernel. When an unauthenticated attacker sends specifically crafted NFSv4 requests to the target system, the implementation fails to properly validate or process these communications, resulting in kernel-level memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions. This flaw operates at the kernel level within the NFSv4 server implementation, allowing attackers to trigger conditions that cause the system to become unresponsive or experience repeated crashes. The vulnerability specifically targets the NFSv4 server-side processing logic, where malformed requests can cause the system to enter an infinite loop or consume excessive system resources, ultimately leading to a denial of service condition that affects the entire operating system availability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple service disruption, as it can result in complete system downtime that affects critical business operations and infrastructure availability. Organizations running Solaris systems with NFSv4 services exposed to untrusted networks face significant risk of operational disruption, potentially leading to extended periods of system unavailability that can impact productivity, data access, and overall IT infrastructure reliability. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.5 reflects the high availability impact, with the potential for complete system compromise through repeated exploitation. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where Solaris systems serve as file servers or storage platforms, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to disrupt business operations. The lack of authentication requirements means that even systems behind firewalls or network segmentation can be vulnerable if NFSv4 services are accessible from external networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-10036 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle, as this represents a critical security flaw that requires vendor-supplied fixes to resolve the underlying kernel-level implementation issues. Organizations should implement network segmentation to restrict access to NFSv4 services, particularly by blocking NFSv4 ports (typically TCP 2049 and UDP 2049) from untrusted networks and limiting access to authorized systems only. System administrators should consider disabling NFSv4 services entirely if they are not required, or implementing strict access controls and monitoring of NFSv4 traffic to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also implement continuous monitoring of system stability and network traffic patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts, as the vulnerability can cause system crashes that may be difficult to distinguish from other system failures without proper logging and monitoring in place.