NGSSoftware Insight Security Research Advisory

Name: SQLIDEBUG envariable overflow on Informix
Systems Affected: 9.40.xC6 and earlier and 10.00.xC2, C1
Severity: High
Vendor URL: http://www.ibm.com/ 
Author: David Litchfield [ davidl@ngssoftware.com ] 
Date of Public Advisory: 2nd August 2006
Advisory number: #NISR02082006G
CVEID: http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2006-3862 
Advisory URL: http://www.ngssoftware.com/research/ 

Description
***********
Informix Dynamic Server is a database developed by IBM. During a security 
assessment of Informix it was discovered that an overflow could be triggered 
in a shared library with the SQLIDEBUG environment variable. This can be 
triggered to gain root privileges by accessing one of the setuid root 
binaries such as onmode.

Details
*******
There's a buffer overflow in most of the setuid root programs in Informix 
running on Linux. The problem arises due to an overly long SQLIDEBUG 
environment variable of the form

SQLIDEBUG=1:/long-file-name

At bytes 272-6 in the long "filename" the saved return address on the stack 
is overwritten.



Fix Information
***************
IBM was alerted to this flaw on the 13th January 2005. Patches have now been 
made available.

NGSSQuirreL for Informix, an advanced vulnerability assessment scanner 
designed specifically for Informix, can be used to accurately determine 
whether your servers are vulnerable to this flaw. More information about 
NGSSQuirreL for Informix can be found here 
http://www.ngssoftware.com/products/database-security/ngs-squirrel-informix.php 

About NGSSoftware
*****************

NGSSoftware develops vulnerability assessment and compliancy tools for 
database servers including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, DB2, Sybase and 
Informix. Headquartered in the United Kingdom NGS has offices in London, St. 
Andrews (UK), Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth (Australia) and Texas in the 
United States; NGSConsulting provide services to some of the largest and 
most demanding organizations around the globe.

http://www.ngssoftware.com/ 

Telephone +44 208 401 0070
Fax +44 208 401 0076

enquiries@ngssoftware.com