CVE-2017-3584 in Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK) component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: RAS subsystems). The supported version that is affected is AK 2013. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK) executes to compromise Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK). While the vulnerability is in Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK), attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK). CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/20/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3584 resides within the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK) component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, specifically within the Remote Administration Services (RAS) subsystems. This security flaw affects the AK 2013 version and represents a significant concern for organizations utilizing Oracle's storage infrastructure. The vulnerability operates at a system level where the RAS subsystems handle critical administrative functions, making it particularly dangerous as it provides an entry point for attackers who have already gained basic access to the appliance's infrastructure. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 7.8 indicates a high-severity issue with substantial impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, reflecting the potential for complete system compromise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves a difficult-to-exploit condition that requires an attacker to possess low-privileged access to the system infrastructure where the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit operates. This prerequisite means that while the attack vector is not trivially accessible, it represents a serious escalation risk once initial access is achieved. The vulnerability's classification under CWE categories related to insufficient privileges and inadequate access control demonstrates its fundamental weakness in access management mechanisms. The attack requires an attacker to have already established a foothold on the system, which could be achieved through various means including credential theft, network reconnaissance, or other initial compromise techniques. The fact that the vulnerability exists within the RAS subsystems suggests that it may be related to how the system handles remote administration commands or authentication processes.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2017-3584 extends beyond the immediate compromise of the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit itself, potentially affecting additional products and systems within the broader Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite ecosystem. This cascading effect aligns with ATT&CK tactics related to privilege escalation and lateral movement, where an initial compromise can lead to broader system infiltration. The complete takeover capability of the appliance represents a critical failure in the system's security architecture, as it would allow attackers to gain full administrative control over the storage appliance. This level of compromise would enable unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, along with potential disruption of storage services that organizations depend upon for critical business operations. The availability impact is particularly severe as attackers could potentially render storage services unavailable through various means including service disruption or system shutdown.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies focusing on network segmentation and access control measures to limit the potential impact of this vulnerability. The recommended approach includes restricting network access to the affected appliance through firewall rules and implementing strict authentication controls to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify potential exploitation attempts. The mitigation efforts should align with industry best practices for privileged access management and should include monitoring for unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. System administrators should also consider implementing additional logging and auditing mechanisms to detect unauthorized access attempts. Given the CVSS scoring and the potential for significant system compromise, organizations should prioritize patch management and ensure that all affected systems receive timely updates from Oracle. The vulnerability's characteristics suggest that layered security approaches are essential, as relying on a single security control would be insufficient to protect against exploitation attempts.