CVE-2018-2763 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: NTPD). The supported version that is affected is 11.3. 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 unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Solaris accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 3.3 (Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2763 resides within the Network Time Protocol daemon component of Oracle Solaris 11.3 systems, specifically affecting the NTPD subsystem. This represents a significant security weakness that undermines the integrity controls of the operating system. The vulnerability operates at the system level where time synchronization services are managed, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers who have already gained basic access to the target infrastructure. The affected Solaris version demonstrates a critical flaw in how the NTPD service handles certain data processing operations, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and unauthorized data manipulation.
This vulnerability manifests as a low-privilege attacker with legitimate login access to the Solaris system can exploit the NTPD service to gain unauthorized access to modify system data. The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the NTPD implementation, allowing malicious actors to inject or manipulate time synchronization data that ultimately affects the integrity of system operations. The CVSS 3.0 scoring of 3.3 reflects the relatively low complexity required to exploit this vulnerability, with the attack vector being local access and the attack complexity being low. The vulnerability's classification as a local privilege escalation issue aligns with CWE-269 which addresses improper privilege management in system components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data integrity concerns as it creates opportunities for attackers to compromise the trustworthiness of system time synchronization mechanisms. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can perform unauthorized updates, inserts, or deletions against Solaris-accessible data, potentially leading to cascading effects throughout the system's security infrastructure. The fact that this vulnerability operates with minimal user interaction requirements and can be executed from within the system itself makes it particularly insidious, as it can be difficult to detect and trace back to its source. This weakness directly impacts the system's ability to maintain accurate timekeeping which is fundamental to security logging, authentication processes, and audit trails.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant Oracle patches and updates to address the NTPD vulnerability. Network segmentation and monitoring of time synchronization activities can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation, and the attack surface can be reduced through proper access controls and least privilege principles. System administrators should also consider implementing additional logging and monitoring of NTPD processes to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations running Solaris 11.3 systems should prioritize this vulnerability remediation as it represents a potential entry point for attackers seeking to establish persistent access or escalate their privileges within the system environment.