CVE-2019-2804 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris component of Oracle Sun Systems Products Suite (subcomponent: Filesystem). Supported versions that are affected are 11.4 and 10. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows low privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle Solaris executes to compromise Oracle Solaris. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle Solaris. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 7.3 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-2804 resides within the Oracle Solaris filesystem component, specifically affecting versions 10 and 11.4 of the Sun Systems Products Suite. This represents a critical security flaw that exploits the underlying file system mechanisms to potentially allow unauthorized access and control over the target system. The vulnerability operates within the context of a privileged execution environment where an attacker with basic login credentials can leverage this weakness to escalate their privileges and gain complete control over the affected Solaris systems.
This vulnerability manifests as a privilege escalation issue that operates with low privilege requirements and can be exploited through local access to the system. The attack vector requires a user with legitimate login credentials to the Solaris environment, but the exploitation process itself does not require additional authentication. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that the attack mechanism is straightforward and does not require sophisticated techniques or extensive reconnaissance. The CVSS score of 7.3 reflects the high impact potential across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, with the attack requiring only low complexity and low privileges to succeed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to full system compromise, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, modify critical system files, and gain persistent access to the target environment. The requirement for human interaction from a person other than the attacker suggests that while the initial exploitation may be automated, some form of user involvement is necessary to complete the attack chain. This typically involves legitimate user activities that trigger the vulnerable code path within the filesystem component. The attack can result in complete system takeover, making it a particularly dangerous vulnerability for enterprise environments that rely on Solaris systems for critical operations.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Oracle security patches and updates to address the vulnerability in affected systems. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit potential attack vectors, while monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-269, which deals with privilege escalation issues in operating systems, and represents a significant concern for organizations using legacy Solaris systems where patching may be delayed. Mitigation strategies should also include reducing the attack surface by limiting local user access and implementing principle of least privilege access controls. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Solaris versions and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. The attack pattern associated with this vulnerability follows typical lateral movement techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms within enterprise environments.