CVE-2023-22128 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Filesystem). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11. Difficult to exploit vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via rquota to compromise Oracle Solaris. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle Solaris accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 3.1 (Confidentiality impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-22128 represents a significant security weakness within Oracle Solaris filesystem components, specifically affecting versions 10 and 11. This flaw resides in the rquota protocol implementation which is used for reporting disk usage statistics across network boundaries. The vulnerability's classification as difficult to exploit indicates that while the attack vector is accessible over the network, it requires specific conditions and prerequisites that make successful exploitation less straightforward than more severe vulnerabilities. The CVSS 3.1 base score of 3.1 reflects the relatively limited impact scope, primarily focusing on confidentiality concerns rather than integrity or availability breaches.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of network requests within the rquota service, which operates as part of the Network File System (NFS) implementation in Solaris. When a remote attacker sends crafted network requests through the rquota protocol, the system fails to properly validate input parameters or enforce appropriate access controls. This misconfiguration allows for unauthorized data access through a subset of filesystem information that should otherwise remain protected. The vulnerability specifically impacts the filesystem component, which is critical for maintaining data integrity and access control within the operating system environment. The attack requires unauthenticated access via network protocols, making it particularly concerning for systems that expose NFS services to external networks without proper firewall restrictions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability manifests primarily as unauthorized read access to filesystem data, which can compromise sensitive information stored on affected Solaris systems. While the CVSS score indicates only a low severity for confidentiality impacts, the potential for data leakage remains significant, especially in enterprise environments where Solaris systems often host critical business data. The requirement for human interaction suggests that successful exploitation may involve social engineering elements or require specific user actions that could be leveraged by sophisticated attackers. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users may not be adequately trained about security protocols or where system administrators have not properly configured network access controls. The affected versions 10 and 11 represent long-supported releases that continue to be deployed in production environments, increasing the potential attack surface.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-22128 should focus on implementing network segmentation and access control measures to prevent unauthorized access to rquota services. Organizations should disable rquota functionality when not required, particularly on systems exposed to untrusted networks. The implementation of firewall rules to restrict access to rquota ports and the application of Oracle's official security patches should be prioritized. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual rquota traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and could potentially be leveraged as part of broader attack chains targeting other system components. Security teams should consider this vulnerability in their overall risk assessment frameworks and ensure proper configuration management practices are in place to prevent unauthorized network access to NFS services. The remediation approach should include regular vulnerability scanning and system hardening procedures to reduce the attack surface and maintain operational security posture against similar filesystem-related vulnerabilities.