dbcve.org
Sparc Enterprise ServerHardware / appliance · Sun

CVE-2009-0171

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-01-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 and M5000 Server, within a certain range of serial numbers, allows remote attackers to use the manufacturing root password, perform a root login to the eXtended System Control Facility Unit (aka XSCFU or Service Processor), and have unspecified other impact.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 and M5000 servers contain a hardcoded manufacturing root password that allows remote attackers to authenticate as root to the eXtended System Control Facility Unit (XSCFU), also known as the Service Processor. This gives full administrative control over the service processor, which manages server hardware monitoring and remote console functions.

MitigationImmediately restrict network access to the Service Processor (XSCFU) interfaces using firewall rules or air-gapping, contact Oracle for a firmware/patch to replace the manufacturing password, and change any default credentials on affected systems.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Sparc Enterprise ServerHardware / appliance
Affected:= m4000= m5000

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the server model
    Run 'showplatform' or check the system inventory to confirm the server is a Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 or M5000
    Affected if The server model is Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 or M5000
  2. Locate the Service Processor IP address
    Check the system documentation or network configuration for the eXtended System Control Facility Unit (XSCFU) / Service Processor network IP address
    Affected if A network-accessible IP address is assigned to the Service Processor
  3. Verify Service Processor network accessibility
    Attempt to ping or telnet to the Service Processor IP address from an external network location
    Affected if The Service Processor is reachable over the network from untrusted networks
  4. Test default credential status
    Attempt to authenticate to the Service Processor web interface or console using the known manufacturing default root credentials
    Affected if Authentication succeeds with the default manufacturing password, indicating the default credential has not been changed
  5. Review Service Processor access controls
    Check the firewall or network segmentation configuration around the Service Processor to determine if unrestricted network access is permitted
    Affected if The Service Processor is exposed to untrusted network segments without firewall protection

A user is affected if they operate a Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 or M5000 server with the Service Processor network-accessible and the hardcoded manufacturing root password still active.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Immediately restrict network access to the Service Processor (XSCFU) interfaces using firewall rules or air-gapping, contact Oracle for a firmware/patch to replace the manufacturing password, and change any default credentials on affected systems.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. These Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000 and M5000 servers from 2009 are end-of-life and no longer supported by Oracle.
  2. The vulnerability is due to a hardcoded manufacturing root password in the Service Processor (XSCFU) firmware for a specific range of serial numbers.
  3. There is no software patch or firmware update available for this issue.
  4. Contact Oracle Hardware Services for potential physical remediation if still in warranty, or retire these systems.
  5. If these systems must remain in service, isolate them completely from untrusted networks as a compensating control.
Caveat These systems are end-of-life and should be replaced with modern hardware - no upgrade path available

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Sparc Enterprise Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0171 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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