CVE-2018-2926 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: NVIDIA-GFX Kernel driver). The supported version that is affected is 11.3. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via ISCSI 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 as well as unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Solaris accessible data and unauthorized read access to a subset of Solaris accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.6 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2926 resides within the Solaris operating system's NVIDIA-GFX kernel driver component, representing a critical security flaw that affects Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite version 11.3. This vulnerability operates at the kernel level within the graphics subsystem, specifically targeting the interaction between the iSCSI protocol and the graphics driver's memory management mechanisms. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and memory handling within the kernel-space driver code, creating a pathway for exploitation that bypasses normal security boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through network-based iSCSI connections, requiring only low-privileged access to initiate the attack vector. An attacker with network connectivity can leverage this flaw to execute malicious code within the kernel context of the Solaris system, effectively elevating their privileges and gaining complete control over the affected system. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable stems from the combination of accessible network interfaces, the presence of vulnerable kernel code, and the minimal privileges required to initiate the attack. The flaw manifests as improper handling of graphics memory allocation and deallocation operations, leading to potential buffer overflows or memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple system compromise, as successful exploitation can result in complete denial of service conditions that cause system hangs or frequent crashes, rendering the affected Solaris systems unusable for their intended purposes. Beyond the immediate availability impact, the vulnerability enables unauthorized modification of system data through update, insert, and delete operations on accessible Solaris data stores, while simultaneously providing unauthorized read access to sensitive data subsets. This comprehensive impact spans all three core security principles defined by the CIA triad, with confidentiality being compromised through unauthorized data reading, integrity being violated through unauthorized data modification, and availability being severely impacted through the potential for complete system crashes.
The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.6 reflects the severity of this vulnerability, with a base score that indicates high impact across all three security dimensions. The attack vector assessment of network access (AV:N) combined with low attack complexity (AC:L) and low privileges required (PR:L) creates a dangerous combination that makes this vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors. The vulnerability's impact on system availability (A:H) is particularly concerning as it can result in complete system downtime, while the confidentiality (C:L) and integrity (I:L) impacts suggest that attackers can access and modify data within the system's accessible boundaries. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-125, which covers out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities that can occur in kernel drivers. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK techniques such as privilege escalation and defense evasion, as the exploitation allows attackers to gain higher system privileges while potentially masking their activities through system modifications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2926 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Solaris systems through Oracle's security updates, as the vulnerability requires kernel-level fixes that cannot be adequately addressed through configuration changes alone. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit iSCSI access to only trusted systems and networks, while monitoring for unusual network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider disabling unnecessary iSCSI services and implementing strict access controls for graphics driver components. The vulnerability's nature as a kernel-level flaw makes traditional endpoint protection solutions insufficient, requiring system-level security controls and comprehensive monitoring of kernel activities. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Solaris versions and implement a phased patching approach that includes testing in controlled environments before full deployment across production systems.