CVE-2018-2927 in Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK)
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK) component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: HTTP data path subsystems). The supported version that is affected is Prior to 8.7.18. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK). Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit (AK) accessible data. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 4.3 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2927 resides within the Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Kit component of Oracle's Sun Systems Products Suite, specifically affecting the HTTP data path subsystems. This security flaw impacts versions prior to 8.7.18 and represents a significant concern for organizations utilizing ZFS storage solutions. The vulnerability operates within the network-based attack surface, making it accessible to attackers who can establish HTTP connections to the affected appliance. The CVSS 3.0 scoring system assigns this vulnerability a base score of 4.3, reflecting its moderate severity level with particular emphasis on confidentiality impacts. The attack vector requires network access via HTTP protocol, while the low privilege requirement suggests that even unauthenticated users can potentially exploit this weakness. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack mechanism does not require specialized knowledge or complex conditions to successfully compromise the system.
The technical flaw manifests in the HTTP data path subsystems of the ZFS Storage Appliance Kit, where insufficient access controls or authentication mechanisms fail to properly validate user permissions when processing HTTP requests. This weakness allows an attacker to bypass normal access restrictions and gain unauthorized read access to specific subsets of data within the appliance's storage environment. The vulnerability's impact is confined to confidentiality rather than integrity or availability, meaning that while data can be read without authorization, the attacker cannot modify or disrupt system operations. The affected subsystem likely processes HTTP requests related to storage management, data retrieval, or administrative functions where proper authorization checks are either missing or inadequately implemented. This particular weakness creates a pathway for information disclosure that could expose sensitive storage metadata, file system information, or potentially user data depending on the appliance's configuration and access policies.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-2927 extends beyond simple data exposure, potentially compromising the overall security posture of organizations relying on ZFS storage solutions. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can access restricted storage areas and retrieve sensitive information that might include configuration details, user data, or storage metadata that could aid in further attacks against the broader network infrastructure. The low privilege requirement means that even casual attackers or those with minimal access rights can exploit this weakness, making the potential impact more widespread than initially apparent. Organizations using affected versions of the ZFS Storage Appliance Kit face the risk of data leakage that could expose intellectual property, customer information, or other confidential data stored within the appliance's storage pools. The vulnerability's presence in the HTTP data path subsystem suggests that any services or applications that rely on HTTP-based protocols for storage management or data access are potentially at risk.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-2927 primarily focus on upgrading to the patched version 8.7.18 or later, which addresses the underlying access control issues within the HTTP data path subsystems. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit HTTP access to the affected appliance, reducing the attack surface available to potential attackers. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual HTTP traffic patterns or unauthorized access attempts to storage management interfaces. The vulnerability's classification under CWE 284 (Improper Access Control) aligns with the fundamental principle that proper authorization mechanisms must be enforced at all levels of system access. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious HTTP requests targeting storage management interfaces. Regular security assessments of storage appliance configurations should be conducted to ensure that access controls remain properly enforced and that no unauthorized modifications have been made to the system's security policies. The ATT&CK framework's technique T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) and T1046 (Network Service Scanning) may be relevant for threat hunting activities to identify potential exploitation attempts of this vulnerability.