Vulnerability Note VU#810921

Cobalt RaQ Server Appliances contains vulnerability allowing remote root compromise

Overview

A remotely exploitable vulnerability exists in Cobalt RaQ Server Appliances with the Security Hardening Package (SHP) installed.

I. Description

The Cobalt RaQ is a Sun Server Appliance. Sun describes the Cobalt RaQ as follows:

The Cobalt RaQ^TM4 is a server appliance that provides a dedicated Web-hosting platform and offers new capabilities for high-traffic, complex Web sites and e-commerce applications.

The RaQ 4 server appliance offers a full suite of Internet services with remote administration capabilities, pre-packaged in a single rack-unit (1RU) industry-standard enclosure. The RaQ 4 is pre-configured with Apache Web server, Sendmail, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, Domain Name System (DNS), the Linux operating system, FrontPage Server extensions, and support for Active Server Pages (ASP), PHP and common gateway interface (CGI) scripts.

Sun provides the SHP for Cobalt RaQs. Although it is not installed by default, many users install the SHP. Quoting from the SHP RaQ 4 User Guide:

Security Functions include:

• Scan detection, logging, and lockout

• Buffer overflow protection

• Root privilege control

A remotely exploitable vulnerability in the SHP may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on a Cobalt RaQ Server Appliance. The vulnerability occurs in a cgi script that does not properly filter input. Specifically, overflow.cgi does not adequately filter input destined for the email variable. Because of this flaw, an attacker can use a POST request to fill the email variable with arbitrary commands. The attacker can then call overflow.cgi, which will allow the command the attacker filled the email variable with to be executed with superuser privileges.

II. Impact

A remote attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code on a Cobalt RaQ Server Appliance with the SHP installed.

III. Solution

Apply a patch. This patch will remove the SHP from your RaQ.

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Updated
Sun Microsystems Inc.	Vulnerable	11-Dec-2002

References

http://ftp.cobalt.sun.com/pub/packages/raq4/eng/RaQ4-en-Security-2.0.1-SHP_REM.pkg
http://www.sun.com/hardware/serverappliances/pdfs/support/RaQ_4_SHP_UG.pdf
http://www.sun.com/hardware/serverappliances/pdfs/manuals/manual.raq4.pdf
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/security/Content/6326.html
http://www.der-keiler.de/Mailing-Lists/Securiteam/2002-12/0023.html
http://www.sun.com/hardware/serverappliances/raq4/
http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/302259
http://www.securitybugware.org/Linux/5861.html
http://www.i-security.nl/files/raqrewt.c

Credit

This vulnerability was publicly reported by <grazer@digit-labs.org>.

This document was written by Ian A Finlay.

Other Information

Date Public	12/05/2002
Date First Published	12/11/2002 11:05:20 AM
Date Last Updated	12/16/2002
CERT Advisory	CA-2002-35
CVE Name	CAN-2002-1361
US-CERT Technical Alerts
Metric	41.63
Document Revision	67

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