J-Security Center

Title: Oracle TNS Listener Arbitrary Library Call Execution Vulnerability

Severity: CRITICAL

Description:

Oracle is a commercial relational database product. Oracle is available for the Unix, Linux, and Microsoft Windows platforms.

Oracle supports the PL/SQL programming language, used in part to create stored procedures and embed complicated operations within the database. PL/SQL includes the functionality to call arbitrary external functions through libraries or DLLs. PL/SQL accomplishes this through the Oracle Listener process.

When asked to make an external call, the PL/SQL function connects to the listener and causes a new process to be created. The Library call is then executed in this process, and results are communicated through named pipes.

As there is no authentication between the PL/SQL process and the Listener, it is possible for a malicious third party to emulate the conversation. Thus, any party able to connect to the Listener is able to request the execution of any library call. This may result in a system() call, and the execution of arbitrary shell commands.

Additionally, it is possible to force the process communication to occur through sockets instead of named pipes. This easily opens the potential for a full remote compromise of the Listener user.

Any code that an attacker executes would run with the privilege level of the listener. On Windows based systems, the library call is run within the local SYSTEM security context. On Unix systems, the Listener may run with user-level privileges.

** A reliable source has indicated that a patch for this issue is available to Oracle customers but introduces the issue described in BID 8267 as a side effect. Symantec has not been able to confirm this information.

Affected Products:

  • HP HP-UX 11.0.0
  • HP HP-UX 11.11.0
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.1
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.2
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.3
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.4
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.5
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.5.1
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.0.6
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.1.5
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.1.6
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.1.7
  • Oracle Oracle8 8.1.7.4
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.0.5.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.0.6.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.0.6.0.1
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.5.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.5.0.2
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.5.1.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.6.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.6.1.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.7 .0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.7.1.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.7.4
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.5
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.6
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.7
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.7.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.7.1
  • Oracle Oracle8i Standard Edition 8.1.7.4
  • Oracle Oracle9i Standard Edition 9.0.0
  • Oracle Oracle9i Standard Edition 9.0.1
  • RedHat Linux 6.1.0 i386
  • RedHat Linux 6.2.0 i386

References:

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