Executive brief
A security vulnerability exists in a core system library of the IBM AIX operating system. This flaw allows a person who already has basic access to the computer to bypass security restrictions and gain full administrative (root) control. This could lead to a total compromise of the system, including the ability to view or delete any data and disrupt business operations.
Technical details
A buffer overflow vulnerability exists within the libDtSvc library in IBM AIX. The flaw is triggered when the library improperly handles input, leading to memory corruption. A local attacker with low-privileged access can exploit this by providing specially crafted input to a program that utilizes the vulnerable library. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, specifically gaining root access to the underlying operating system. This is a classic local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability.
Affected products
- IBM AIX
Timeline
- 1997-10-28: disclosed