CVE-2018-3266 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Verified Boot). The supported version that is affected is 11.3. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows high 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 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 3.9 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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-2018-3266 resides within the Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite, specifically affecting the Verified Boot subcomponent in Solaris version 11.3. This flaw represents a significant security weakness that operates within the foundational boot process of the operating system, where the integrity of the system's initialization and verification mechanisms can be compromised. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while it requires specific conditions and elevated privileges, the potential impact on system security is substantial enough to warrant immediate attention from security professionals and system administrators.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the Verified Boot process, which is designed to ensure that only authenticated and authorized code executes during system startup. When an attacker with high privileged access gains control over the system infrastructure where Solaris operates, they can manipulate the boot process to execute malicious code or modify system components. This weakness specifically relates to the improper handling of boot verification procedures that should normally prevent unauthorized modifications to critical system files and configurations. The vulnerability's CVSS 3.0 score of 3.9 reflects the moderate severity impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability aspects, with the attack vector requiring local access with high privileges and a high attack complexity.
The operational impact of successful exploitation of CVE-2018-3266 extends beyond simple data compromise to include substantial system integrity violations. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can achieve unauthorized modifications to system data through update, insert, or delete operations on accessible Solaris data repositories. Additionally, the attacker gains unauthorized read access to a subset of data that should normally be protected, potentially exposing sensitive system information or user data. The partial denial of service component of this vulnerability means that the attacker can disrupt system operations without completely taking the system offline, creating ongoing operational challenges that may go undetected for extended periods. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) categories, as it involves both access control violations and potential cryptographic weakness in the boot verification process.
Security mitigations for CVE-2018-3266 should prioritize immediate patch application from Oracle, as this vulnerability affects the core boot verification mechanism that protects system integrity. System administrators should implement enhanced monitoring of boot processes and verify the integrity of system components through regular audits of the Verified Boot chain. The principle of least privilege should be strictly enforced, limiting local access to system infrastructure and implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to reduce the attack surface and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to systems running vulnerable Solaris versions. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1068 (Local Port Forwarding) and T1547 (Boot or Logon Autostart Execution) techniques, as exploitation typically involves manipulating system boot processes and establishing persistent access through legitimate system mechanisms. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of boot integrity mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that the system's verified boot process maintains its intended security properties.