Executive brief
The rexd service is an older remote execution tool used to run commands on different computers across a network. Because it uses very weak security checks, an unauthorized person could potentially use it to take control of a system and run malicious commands. Organizations should disable this service or ensure it is only accessible within a highly trusted, isolated network.
Technical details
The rexd (Remote Execution) service relies on RPC-based authentication that is inherently weak and easily spoofed. An attacker with network access to the service can bypass authentication to execute arbitrary commands on the host with the privileges of the service. This is considered a configuration and protocol-level weakness rather than a specific software bug. Security best practices dictate that rexd should be disabled or restricted to trusted network segments via firewalling, as it lacks the robust encryption and authentication found in modern alternatives like SSH.
Affected products
- Sun Microsystems rexd service All versions
Timeline
- 1992-03-01: disclosed: Initial publication date in NVD.