SECOBJADV-2008-04: Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation Memory Disclosure Vulnerability

[Security Objectives Corporation <advisories () security-objectives com>]

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=         Security Objectives Advisory (SECOBJADV-2008-04)           =
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Veritas Storage Foundation Memory Disclosure Vulnerability

http://www.security-objectives.com/advisories/SECOBJSADV-2008-04.txt

AFFECTED: Veritas Storage Foundation 5.0

PLATFORM: Solaris, Linux, AIX, HP-UX

CLASSIFICATION: Sensitive Information Uncleared Before Release (CWE-226)

RESEARCHER: Derek Callaway

IMPACT: Data Leakage

SEVERITY: Low

DIFFICULTY: Trivial

REFERENCES: CVE-2008-3248, SYM08-018, BID 31678


BACKGROUND

Veritas Storage Foundation 5.0 from Symantec provides a complete 
solution for heterogeneous online storage management. Based on the 
industry-leading Veritas Volume Manager and Veritas File System, it 
provides a standard set of integrated tools to centrally manage 
explosive data growth, maximize storage hardware investments, provide 
data protection and adapt to changing business requirements.

SUMMARY

VxFS (VERITAS File System) is an extent based, journaling filesystem
included with Symantec's Storage Foundation Suite. It implements a
"Quick I/O for Databases" feature; the set-uid root program qiomkfile
manages special files that help to increase transaction processing
efficiency. Uninitialized chunks of memory are written to a hidden file
that qiomkfile creates at runtime. Depending on system activity prior
to invocation, the new file may contain sensitive information.

ANALYSIS

qiomkfile will write the unitialized data to a dot-file whose name is provided
as an argument. Varying the numeric values passed to qiomkfile on the 
command-line through the -s and -h flags will cause disparate chunks of 
file system memory to be written to the dot-file. According to C99, 
(7.20.3.3.2) "The malloc function allocates space for an object whose 
size is specified by size and whose value is indeterminate."

WORKAROUND

Remove the set-uid bit from the qiomkfile binary.

chmod u-s /opt/VRTS/bin/qiomkfile

VENDOR RESPONSE

Symantec included a fix for this problem in the recent maintenance 
release Veritas Software File System 5.0 MP3.

DISCLOSURE TIMELINE

30-May-2008 Discovery of Vulnerability
31-May-2008 Developed Proof-of-Concept
10-Jun-2008 Reported to Vendor
20-Oct-2008 Maintenance Release
21-Oct-2008 Published Advisory

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