Vulnerability Note VU#18500

IBM AIX portmir buffer overflow

Overview

There is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the AIX portmir command that may allow local attackers to gain root privileges.

I. Description

There is a buffer overflow in the AIX portmir command. This problem was described in IBM ERS security bulletin: ERS-SVA-E01-1997:006.1.

II. Impact

Attackers with access to a local user account may gain root privileges.

III. Solution

Apply a Patch

IBM has released patches to correct this problem. For AIX version 4.2.1, system administrators should apply APAR#IX71795.

Disable the setuid bit on the portmir command

Disabling the setuid bit on the portmir command will prevent this vulnerability from being exploited. ?You can do this by running the following command as root:

chmod u-s /usr/sbin/portmir

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Notified	Date Updated
IBM	Vulnerable	21-Jun-1998

References

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=ERS-SVA-E01-1997:006.1&hl=en&rnum=3&selm=6383eb%24kts%241%40watnews1.watson.ibm.com
http://xforce.iss.net/static/592.php

Credit

This document was written by Cory F. Cohen.

Other Information

Date Public:	97-10-29
Date First Published:	2001-09-26
Date Last Updated:	2001-09-27
CERT Advisory:
CVE-ID(s):	CAN-1999-0092
NVD-ID(s):	CAN-1999-0092
US-CERT Technical Alerts:
Metric:	4.31
Document Revision:	9

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