CVE-2018-2718 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: RPC). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11.3. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via NFS 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 • 03/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2718 resides within the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) subsystem of Oracle Solaris operating systems, specifically affecting versions 10 and 11.3. This issue represents a critical availability threat that undermines the fundamental stability of Solaris systems through a flaw in the Network File System (NFS) implementation. The vulnerability operates at the core of distributed computing infrastructure where RPC serves as the communication protocol enabling services to execute procedures on remote systems. The affected RPC implementation within Solaris creates a pathway for malicious actors to exploit system resources without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where NFS services are actively utilized.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the RPC processing routines that handle NFS requests. When a malformed or specially crafted RPC message is received by the vulnerable Solaris system, the processing logic fails to properly handle the unexpected input, leading to memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions. This flaw manifests as a deterministic crash condition that can be repeatedly triggered by an unauthenticated network attacker, effectively creating a reliable denial of service vector. The vulnerability's exploitability score of seven point five on the CVSS 3.0 scale reflects its ease of exploitation and the high impact on system availability, with the potential to cause complete system hangs or frequent crashes that render the affected systems non-operational.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2018-2718 extends beyond simple system downtime to encompass broader business continuity concerns for organizations relying on Solaris infrastructure. The vulnerability affects systems where NFS services are exposed to network traffic, which typically includes file servers, database systems, and application servers that depend on distributed file access. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that any network-connected system running vulnerable Solaris versions could be compromised, creating a widespread threat landscape. Organizations with legacy Solaris deployments, particularly those in financial services, healthcare, or manufacturing sectors, face significant operational risks as this vulnerability can be exploited by automated scanning tools to identify and compromise vulnerable systems.
The attack surface for this vulnerability aligns with the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, specifically targeting the network infrastructure layer where RPC services operate. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-129 (Improper Validation of Input) demonstrates the fundamental flaw in input sanitization processes within the RPC implementation. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of how RPC implementations can become attack vectors when proper input validation and error handling mechanisms are absent. The availability impact of this vulnerability, rated at the maximum level, indicates that successful exploitation will result in complete system compromise through denial of service conditions that prevent normal system operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2718 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Oracle, which addresses the RPC input validation issues through updated system binaries. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to NFS services, particularly disabling unnecessary RPC services on systems that do not require distributed file access. The implementation of network access controls and firewall rules can provide additional defense-in-depth measures to restrict potential attack vectors. System administrators should also consider disabling NFS services entirely if they are not required for business operations, as this eliminates the attack surface entirely. Monitoring and logging of RPC service activity can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while regular vulnerability assessments should identify other potentially affected components within the Solaris ecosystem. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly suitable for automated exploitation, emphasizing the need for rapid response and comprehensive security posture improvement across affected infrastructure.