Executive brief
A vulnerability in the telnet service of the IBM AIX operating system allows a remote attacker to cause a denial-of-service condition. By exploiting this flaw, an attacker can freeze the system, making the server unresponsive and preventing legitimate users from accessing critical business applications or data. This can lead to operational downtime and loss of service availability.
Technical details
A denial of service (DoS) vulnerability exists in the telnet daemon of IBM AIX. The flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to send malicious traffic or requests that cause the operating system to hang or freeze. This results in a complete loss of availability for the affected host. The vulnerability is reachable over the network via the standard telnet port without requiring valid credentials. While specific technical root causes like buffer overflows or resource exhaustion are not detailed in the legacy advisory, the impact is a confirmed system-wide freeze.
Affected products
- IBM AIX
Timeline
- 1998-02-01: disclosed: NVD Published Date