Sun Solaris mailx contains buffer overflow via -F option

Overview

A buffer overflow in the mailx program on Solaris systems can allow an intruder to execute code with the privileges of the mail group.

Description

A buffer overflow in the -F option of the mailx program on Solaris systems may allow an intruder to execute code with the privileges of the group of the owner of the file (i.e. mailx is setgid mail). An exploit is publicly available that reportedly works against Solaris on Intel systems.

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Impact

A local intruder can execute code with the privileges of the mail group.

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Solution

We are currently unaware of any patches to fix the buffer overflow.

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Until a patch can be developed, remove the setgid bit from the mailx program.

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Vendor Information

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CVSS Metrics

Group	Score	Vector
Base
Temporal
Environmental

References

Acknowledgements

This vulnerability was discovered by Pablo Sor, Buenos Aires, Argentina,and documented with the aid of the Security Focus Vulnerability Help Team.

This document was written by Shawn V. Hernan

Other Information

CVE IDs:	CVE-2001-0565
Severity Metric:	14.55 Date Public: