CVE-2017-3276 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Kernel Zones virtualized block driver). The supported version that is affected is 11.3. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Solaris executes to compromise Solaris. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized creation, deletion or modification access to critical data or all Solaris accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Solaris. CVSS v3.0 Base Score 5.7 (Integrity and Availability impacts).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3276 resides within the Solaris kernel zones virtualized block driver component, representing a significant security weakness in Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite. This flaw specifically affects Solaris version 11.3 and operates at a privileged level within the kernel zone environment, making it particularly dangerous for systems that rely on virtualization for resource isolation and security boundaries. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions and access levels to be leveraged effectively, the potential impact once successful is severe enough to warrant immediate attention from security professionals. The attack vector requires an attacker with legitimate logon credentials to the Solaris infrastructure, suggesting that the vulnerability primarily targets environments where internal security boundaries may be compromised or where privilege escalation has already occurred.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of virtualized block driver operations within kernel zones, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and data manipulation. When exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to modify, create, or delete critical system data across all Solaris accessible resources. This encompasses not only user data but also system-critical information that could compromise the overall integrity and operational security of the affected systems. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data corruption as it also enables the potential for complete system denial of service through causing system hangs or repeated crashes that can render the entire Solaris environment unusable. The CVSS v3.0 base score of 5.7 reflects the balanced severity of both integrity and availability impacts, indicating that while this vulnerability does not provide direct unauthorized access to system resources, it does enable significant manipulation of system state and availability.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3276 creates substantial risk for organizations running Solaris 11.3 systems, particularly those utilizing kernel zones for virtualization and isolation purposes. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can effectively bypass traditional security controls that rely on kernel zone isolation, potentially compromising multiple virtualized environments simultaneously. The availability impact poses particular concern for mission-critical systems where uptime and reliability are paramount, as the potential for system crashes and hangs could result in significant business disruption. Organizations with complex virtualized infrastructures may find that a single compromised kernel zone could provide attackers with access to data and system resources across the entire Solaris environment, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in large-scale deployments. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization) categories, reflecting the underlying issues in data handling and resource management within the virtualized block driver implementation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3276 should focus on immediate patching of affected Solaris 11.3 systems through Oracle's security updates and advisories. Organizations should implement additional monitoring and access controls to detect potential exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual activity within kernel zones and virtualized block driver operations. The principle of least privilege should be strictly enforced, limiting logon access to only those personnel who require administrative access to Solaris systems. Network segmentation and microsegmentation strategies can help contain potential exploitation by limiting lateral movement within the environment. Security teams should also consider implementing behavioral analytics and anomaly detection systems that can identify unauthorized data modification attempts or system instability patterns that may indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) and T1499 (Endpoint Denial of Service) tactics, making defensive strategies that focus on kernel-level integrity monitoring and system availability protection particularly relevant for organizations affected by this vulnerability.