Oracle Solaris and Zettabyte File System (ZFS) Unspecified
CVE-2020-14871 is a high-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in Solaris Operating System from Oracle, with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. Affected Solaris Operating System versions: 10; 11. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on November 3, 2021, which means attacks have been observed in the wild.
Attackers are already exploiting this vulnerability, according to CISA.
What to do
- Check which version of Solaris Operating System you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- CISA's required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Read the advisory on oracle.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle | Solaris Operating System | 10; 11 | Not stated |
| Oracle | solaris | 10; 11 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Access vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network.
- Access complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed.
- Authentication
- NoneNo login is needed.
- Confidentiality
- CompleteAll data can be read.
- Integrity
- CompleteAny data can be modified.
- Availability
- CompleteThe system can be shut down completely.
Vector: AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 10.0 | Critical | CNA (oracle.com) |
| CVSS 2.0 | 10.0 | High | NVD |
Official description
Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Pluggable authentication module). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols 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 takeover of Oracle Solaris. Note: This CVE is not exploitable for Solaris 11.1 and later releases, and ZFSSA 8.7 and later releases, thus the CVSS Base Score is 0.0. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 10.0 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Out-of-bounds Write
The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, many languages that perform their own memory management, such as Java and Perl, are not subject to buffer overflows. Other languages, such as Ada and C#, typically provide overflow protection, but the protection can be disabled by the programmer. Be wary that a language's interface to native code may still be subject to overflows, even if the language itself is theoretically safe.
- Use a vetted library or framework that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. Examples include the Safe C String Library (SafeStr) by Messier and Viega, and the Strsafe.h library from Microsoft. These libraries provide safer versions of overflow-prone string-handling functions.
- Use automatic buffer overflow detection mechanisms that are offered by certain compilers or compiler extensions. Examples include: the Microsoft Visual Studio /GS flag, Fedora/Red Hat FORTIFY_SOURCE GCC flag, StackGuard, and ProPolice, which provide various mechanisms including canary-based detection and range/index checking. D3-SFCV (Stack Frame Canary Validation) from D3FEND discusses canary-based detection in detail.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue.
- Deadline for US federal agencies to remediate, set by CISA.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: active, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/07/03/3Mailing List
Third-party and government advisories
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/159961/SunSSH-Solaris-10-x86-Remote-Root.htmlThird Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/03/1Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-14871US Government Resource
Technical write-ups (may include proof of concept)
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/160510/Solaris-SunSSH-11.0-x86-libpam-Remote-Root.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/160609/Oracle-Solaris-SunSSH-PAM-parse_user_name-Buffer-Overflow.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/163232/Solaris-SunSSH-11.0-Remote-Root.htmlExploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Other vulnerabilities in Solaris Operating System
- 7.8 High severity
- 8.2 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.7 High severity
- 7.0 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
Oracle Solaris Privilege Escalation Exploited
Recent Out-of-bounds Write vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 4.3 Medium severity
- 8.8 High severity
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