16 september, 2009
| Document Audience: | PUBLIC | |
| Document ID: | 266348 | |
| Title: | Security Vulnerability in the w(1) Utility may Lead to Execution of Arbitrary Code | |
| Copyright Notice: | Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved | |
| Update Date: | Thu Sep 10 00:00:00 MDT 2009 | |
Solution Type Sun Alert
Solution 266348 : Security Vulnerability in the w(1) Utility may Lead to Execution of Arbitrary Code
Bug ID
6821298
ProductSolaris 8 Operating System Solaris 9 Operating System Solaris 10 Operating System OpenSolaris
Date of Workaround Release10-Sep-2009
SA Document BodyA heap overflow vulnerability in the w(1) utility:
1. ImpactA heap overflow vulnerability in the w(1) utility may allow a local unprivileged user to execute arbitrary code with root privileges.
Sun acknowledges with thanks, Monarch Rich "1c239c43f521145fa8385d64a9c32243 http://unsecurityresearch.blogspot.com" for discovering and reporting this issue.
2. Contributing Factors
This issue can occur in the following releases:
SPARC Platform
- Solaris 8
- Solaris 9 without patch 113718-04
- Solaris 10 without patch 142286-01
- OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_01 through snv_123
- Solaris 8
- Solaris 9 without patch 113996-05
- Solaris 10 without patch 142285-01
- OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_01 through snv_123
Note 2: OpenSolaris distributions may include additional bug fixes above and beyond the build from which it was derived. To determine the base build of OpenSolaris, the following command can be used:
$ uname -v
snv_86
There are no predictable symptoms to indicate that this issue has been exploited to execute arbitrary code with root privileges.
4. Workaround
There is no workaround for this issue. Please see the Resolution section below.
5. Resolution
This issue is addressed in the following releases:
SPARC Platform
- Solaris 9 with patch 113718-04 or later
- Solaris 10 with patch 142286-01 or later
- OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_124 or later
- Solaris 9 with patch 113996-05 or later
- Solaris 10 with patch 142285-01 or later
- OpenSolaris based upon builds snv_124 or later
Note: The READMEs of Solaris 8 patches developed on or after 1 April 2009 are available to all customers. However, Solaris 8 entered EOSL Phase 2 on April 1, 2009 and thus entitlement for these patches, including those that fix security vulnerabilities, requires the purchase of the Solaris 8 Vintage Patch Service. More information about the Solaris 8 Vintage Patch Service is available at:
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