CVE-2017-3622 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Common Desktop Environment (CDE)). The supported version that is affected is 10. Easily "exploitable" vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Solaris executes to compromise Solaris. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Solaris. Note: CVE-2017-3622 is assigned for the "Extremeparr". CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/24/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3622 resides within the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) component of Oracle Solaris operating systems, specifically affecting version 10. This represents a critical security flaw that operates within the desktop environment subsystem, which serves as a graphical user interface layer for Solaris systems. The vulnerability is classified as easily exploitable, meaning that an attacker with minimal privileges and access to the system can leverage this weakness to gain significant control over the underlying operating system. The Common Desktop Environment serves as a foundational component for desktop functionality and user interaction within Solaris, making this vulnerability particularly concerning as it directly impacts the system's graphical interface and user session management capabilities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the CDE subsystem, allowing for potential code execution or privilege escalation scenarios. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 7.8, indicating high severity across all impact categories including confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is assessed as local (AV:L) meaning the attacker must already have a logon session on the target system, while access complexity is low (AC:L) and requires only low privileges (PR:L) to exploit successfully. The vulnerability does not require user interaction (UI:N) and can result in an unscoped compromise (S:U) where the attacker gains complete control over the Solaris system. This particular weakness is associated with the "Extremeparr" exploit, which represents a specific attack methodology targeting the CDE environment's handling of certain input parameters.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3622 extends far beyond simple system compromise, as successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of Solaris systems, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code, access sensitive data, modify system configurations, and potentially establish persistent access points. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on Solaris for mission-critical applications where desktop environment functionality is essential for user productivity and system management. The low privilege requirement makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users may have legitimate access to systems but should not possess administrative capabilities. Organizations running vulnerable Solaris systems face significant risk of data breaches, system corruption, and potential lateral movement within network infrastructures where Solaris systems may be connected to other networked components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3622 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Solaris systems through Oracle's official security updates, as this vulnerability has been addressed through system patches and updates provided by Oracle. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to systems running vulnerable CDE components and consider disabling unnecessary desktop environment features where possible. The vulnerability's classification under CWE 121 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input) and ATT&CK technique T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) highlights the need for comprehensive security monitoring and access control measures. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potential weaknesses within the Solaris environment and implement regular security audits to ensure that all systems remain protected against similar exploitation techniques. The remediation process should include verification of patch installation and monitoring for any signs of compromise in systems that may have been exposed to this vulnerability before patching.