AIX ftp tftp and utftp Core Dump Vulnerability
BID:401
Info
AIX ftp tftp and utftp Core Dump Vulnerability
| Bugtraq ID: | 401 |
| Class: | Boundary Condition Error |
| CVE: | |
| Remote: | Yes |
| Local: | Yes |
| Published: | Dec 16 1997 12:00AM |
| Updated: | Dec 16 1997 12:00AM |
| Credit: | This vulnerability was published to the IBM APAR Database on December 16, 1997. The SecurityFocus Database entry for this problem is based wholly off that information. |
| Vulnerable: |
IBM AIX 4.3 IBM AIX 4.2.1 IBM AIX 4.2 IBM AIX 4.1.5 IBM AIX 4.1.4 IBM AIX 4.1.3 IBM AIX 4.1.2 IBM AIX 4.1.1 IBM AIX 4.1 |
| Not Vulnerable: |
IBM AIX 4.3.2 |
Discussion
AIX ftp tftp and utftp Core Dump Vulnerability
Some versions of ftpd, tftpd, and utftpd under AIX use the gets() system call to gather information from standard input (STDIN). The gets() system call has no means to denote size of the string it is handling and allows for an infinite amount of data to be passed into it. The problem lies in that the code in ftpd tftpd and utftpd which takes data from the gets() call places it in a fixed buffer. This buffer can be overflown resulting in the applications dumping core. Because these programs are run as root, the core images may contain critical root owned pieces of memory, such as user names and passwords.
Some versions of ftpd, tftpd, and utftpd under AIX use the gets() system call to gather information from standard input (STDIN). The gets() system call has no means to denote size of the string it is handling and allows for an infinite amount of data to be passed into it. The problem lies in that the code in ftpd tftpd and utftpd which takes data from the gets() call places it in a fixed buffer. This buffer can be overflown resulting in the applications dumping core. Because these programs are run as root, the core images may contain critical root owned pieces of memory, such as user names and passwords.