Executive brief
A vulnerability in the performance monitoring tools of the IBM AIX operating system allows a local user to gain full administrative (root) control over the system. These tools are typically used by administrators to monitor system health and resource usage. An exploit could allow a standard user to bypass security restrictions, potentially leading to the theft of sensitive data or a complete system takeover.
Technical details
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the performance tools component of IBM AIX. The flaw allows a local, unprivileged user to execute commands with elevated root privileges. While the specific root cause (such as a buffer overflow or insecure file handling) is not detailed in the legacy advisory, the impact is a full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability is accessible via local access without requiring prior authentication beyond initial system access.
Affected products
- IBM AIX Licensed Program Product performance tools AIX 3.2.5 and earlier
Timeline
- 1994-02-24: disclosed