CVE-2018-2892 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Availability Suite Service). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 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 takeover of Solaris. 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 • 07/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2892 represents a critical security flaw within Oracle Solaris operating systems, specifically affecting the Availability Suite Service component. This vulnerability exists within the Sun Systems Products Suite and impacts both Solaris 10 and Solaris 11.3 versions, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on these systems. The flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-284, which deals with improper access control mechanisms, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves exploiting local system vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that attackers with minimal privileges can leverage this weakness to gain substantial control over affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls within the Solaris Availability Suite Service, which operates with elevated privileges during normal execution. An attacker who has already established a low-privileged logon session on the Solaris infrastructure can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges and ultimately gain complete control over the operating system. The vulnerability's impact is severe across all three core security principles as indicated by the CVSS 3.0 score of 7.8, with high scores for confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The attack vector is classified as local access (AV:L), requiring only local system access, while the attack complexity is low (AC:L) and the privilege requirement is also low (PR:L), meaning that an attacker with basic user-level access can successfully exploit this vulnerability without requiring additional authentication or specialized tools.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2892 extends far beyond simple privilege escalation, as successful exploitation can result in complete system compromise and potential lateral movement within network environments. Organizations running affected Solaris versions face significant risk of data breaches, system manipulation, and service disruption when this vulnerability is exploited. The availability impact is particularly concerning as attackers could potentially cause system downtime or denial of service conditions while maintaining persistent access. From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper access controls. The vulnerability's characteristics align with ATT&CK tactic T1078 which covers legitimate credentials and T1499 which covers network infiltration, making it a prime target for attackers seeking persistent access to enterprise environments. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems and implement monitoring for unusual local access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.
The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to comprehensive system takeover scenarios where attackers gain root-level privileges and can manipulate system configurations, access sensitive data, or establish backdoors for continued access. The low privilege requirement combined with the high impact makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where local access might be more easily obtained through social engineering or other means. Security teams should implement comprehensive monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized privilege escalation attempts and ensure that all Solaris systems are updated to versions that address this specific vulnerability. The CVSS vector parameters indicate that this vulnerability requires minimal effort to exploit but can cause maximum damage, making it a critical priority for security remediation across all affected systems.