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CVE-2017-3242 Oracle CVE debrief

CVE-2017-3242 is a medium-severity Oracle VM Server for SPARC vulnerability in the LDOM Manager subcomponent that can allow a low-privileged attacker with local logon access to cause a hang or repeatable crash, resulting in denial of service. Oracle/NVD indicate affected supported versions 3.2 and 3.4, and successful exploitation requires human interaction from another person.

Vendor
Oracle
Product
CVE-2017-3242
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.9
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-01-27
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-01-27
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Administrators and security teams responsible for Oracle VM Server for SPARC, especially environments running versions 3.2 or 3.4 and systems where local or interactive logon access is available to non-administrators.

Technical summary

NVD classifies the issue as CVSS 3.0 5.9/Medium with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H and CWE-20. The affected CPE criteria identify Oracle VM Server for SPARC 3.2 and 3.4. The practical impact described by Oracle is denial of service through a hang or frequently repeatable crash, with possible broader impact to additional products because the vulnerable component sits within Oracle VM Server for SPARC.

Defensive priority

Medium. Prioritize if the affected Oracle VM Server for SPARC instance is exposed to shared local access, untrusted operators, or operational workflows where user interaction could occur on the infrastructure host.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Confirm whether Oracle VM Server for SPARC 3.2 or 3.4 is deployed and map any dependent systems that may be affected if the server hangs or crashes.
  • Review Oracle's January 2017 Critical Patch Update advisory referenced by NVD and apply the vendor fix or mitigation guidance where available.
  • Restrict local and interactive logon access on affected infrastructure to trusted administrative users only.
  • Monitor affected hosts for unexplained hangs or repeatable crashes and prepare recovery procedures for service restoration.
  • Audit adjacent products and operational processes that rely on the affected VM Server for SPARC environment, since Oracle notes the issue may significantly impact additional products.

Evidence notes

The source corpus includes the NVD modified record for CVE-2017-3242 and Oracle's January 2017 security advisory reference. NVD lists affected SPARC CPEs for Oracle VM Server 3.2 and 3.4, CVSS 3.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H, and CWE-20. The CVE published timestamp is 2017-01-27T22:59:02.397Z; the later 2026-05-13 modified timestamp should not be treated as the issue date.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed on 2017-01-27 in the CVE/NVD record; the NVD entry was later modified on 2026-05-13.