CVE-2020-2680 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Filesystem). The supported version that is affected is 11. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with logon to the infrastructure where Oracle Solaris executes to compromise Oracle Solaris. While the vulnerability is in Oracle Solaris, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized ability to cause a hang or frequently repeatable crash (complete DOS) of Oracle Solaris. CVSS 3.0 Base Score 6.0 (Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/23/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2020-2680 represents a critical availability risk within Oracle Solaris 11 operating system, specifically targeting the filesystem component. This weakness manifests as a privilege escalation vulnerability that requires an attacker to already possess legitimate login credentials on the target system, making it a post-authentication threat rather than a pre-authentication exploit. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable indicates that sophisticated attack techniques are not required, making it particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access might be compromised or where insider threats exist. The CVSS 3.0 score of 6.0 reflects the significant availability impact, with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H indicating local access requirements with high privileges, no user interaction needed, and a potential for complete system disruption.
The technical flaw within the Solaris filesystem component stems from improper handling of certain file operations that can trigger kernel-level memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions. This vulnerability operates at the kernel level, meaning that successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise through denial of service attacks that cause system hangs or repeated crashes. The attack surface is particularly concerning because it leverages legitimate administrative access to execute malicious operations that can destabilize the entire operating system. The filesystem component's role in managing system resources makes this vulnerability especially dangerous as it can affect critical system processes and services that depend on proper file system operations. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, or CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflows, though the exact technical implementation requires detailed analysis of the specific Solaris kernel code affected.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond the immediate Solaris environment, potentially affecting interconnected systems that depend on stable filesystem operations. When a Solaris system experiences repeated crashes or hangs due to this vulnerability, it can lead to cascading failures in network services, database operations, and other critical infrastructure components that rely on the stability of the underlying operating system. Organizations running Solaris 11 in production environments face significant risk of service disruption, data availability issues, and potential business continuity impacts. The vulnerability's ability to cause complete system crashes means that organizations may experience extended downtime while system recovery procedures are implemented, potentially affecting mission-critical applications and services. The CVSS vector's indication of a complete system impact (S:C) suggests that the vulnerability can affect not only the local system but also connected systems through service dependencies and shared resources.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying Oracle's official security patches and updates to address the filesystem vulnerability in Solaris 11. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of compromised administrative accounts. Monitoring for unusual system behavior, including unexpected crashes or performance degradation, can help detect exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely map to techniques involving privilege escalation and system compromise, specifically targeting the system's ability to maintain availability through file system operations. Additional defensive measures should include regular vulnerability assessments, implementation of privileged access management controls, and maintaining up-to-date incident response procedures that account for potential denial of service scenarios. Organizations should also consider implementing additional logging and monitoring specifically focused on filesystem operations that could indicate exploitation attempts, as well as establishing recovery procedures that minimize downtime in the event of successful exploitation.