CVE-2018-3263 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Sudo). The supported version that is affected is 11.3. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Solaris. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Solaris accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Solaris accessible data and unauthorized ability to cause a partial denial of service (partial DOS) of Solaris. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 5.6 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3263 resides within the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, specifically affecting the sudo subcomponent in Solaris 11.3 environments. This weakness represents a significant security flaw that undermines the integrity and confidentiality of critical system operations. The vulnerability operates at a fundamental level within the privilege escalation mechanisms that govern user access controls, potentially allowing malicious actors to bypass established security boundaries through network-based attacks. The affected sudo implementation fails to properly validate authentication credentials or access permissions, creating an exploitable condition that could be leveraged by unauthenticated attackers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and authentication checks within the sudo subsystem. Attackers can exploit this flaw through multiple network protocols without requiring prior authentication, making the attack surface particularly broad and accessible. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while the attack vector exists, specific conditions or prerequisites must be met for successful compromise. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the category of network-based attacks that require minimal user interaction but significant system knowledge to execute effectively. The flaw enables unauthorized modification of system data through update, insert, or delete operations, while simultaneously allowing read access to sensitive information within the Solaris environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-3263 extends across multiple security domains including confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Successful exploitation can result in unauthorized data manipulation that compromises the integrity of system information, while also enabling unauthorized data disclosure that violates confidentiality requirements. The partial denial of service aspect of this vulnerability means that attackers can disrupt system operations without completely incapacitating the entire Solaris environment. This partial DOS capability can be particularly damaging in mission-critical systems where availability is paramount. The CVSS 3.0 base score of 5.6 reflects the moderate severity of the impact, considering the combination of confidentiality, integrity, and availability concerns that this vulnerability presents to affected organizations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates to their Solaris 11.3 systems. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to limit unnecessary access to sudo functionality and restrict protocol access where possible. The implementation of additional authentication controls and monitoring mechanisms can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected Solaris systems within their infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues, and maps to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access. Regular security auditing and penetration testing should be conducted to ensure that the mitigations remain effective against evolving attack methodologies and to maintain compliance with security standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requirements.