CVE-2004-2254 in Surgeldap
Summary
by MITRE
SurgeLDAP 1.0g (Build 12), and possibly other versions before 1.0h, allows remote attackers to bypass authentication for the administration interface via a direct request to admin.cgi with a modified utoken parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2254 affects SurgeLDAP version 1.0g build 12 and potentially other versions prior to 1.0h, presenting a critical authentication bypass flaw in the administration interface. This issue stems from inadequate input validation and improper session management mechanisms within the web application's administrative component. The vulnerability specifically manifests when attackers can directly access the admin.cgi script and manipulate the utoken parameter, which serves as the authentication token for administrative functions.
The technical flaw resides in the application's failure to properly validate the utoken parameter value before granting administrative access. When the admin.cgi script processes requests, it relies on the utoken parameter to verify administrative privileges without sufficient verification of the token's authenticity or origin. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that bypass the normal authentication flow by simply modifying the utoken parameter value, effectively granting unauthorized administrative access to the system. The vulnerability represents a classic example of insecure direct object reference, where the application fails to verify that the requesting user has proper authorization to access the administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations using affected versions of SurgeLDAP. An attacker who discovers this vulnerability can gain full administrative control over the LDAP server configuration, including the ability to modify user accounts, change access controls, add or remove directory entries, and potentially escalate privileges to gain broader system access. This authentication bypass allows for complete compromise of the directory service, which could serve as a critical attack vector for lateral movement within a network infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no valid credentials to exploit, making it an attractive target for automated attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected systems to version 1.0h or later, which contains the necessary authentication fixes. Organizations should implement network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, ensuring that only trusted administrative workstations can reach the affected components. Additional protective measures include implementing proper input validation for all parameters, enforcing strict access controls on administrative scripts, and monitoring for unusual patterns in administrative access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in authentication systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive security measures beyond simple patching.
The root cause of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture, where the system assumes that valid token values are sufficient for authentication without proper verification mechanisms. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege and proper access control implementation, where the application should validate not only the presence of authentication tokens but also their legitimacy and the user's authorization level. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their directory services and implement proper logging and monitoring to detect unauthorized administrative access attempts, as this vulnerability could remain undetected for extended periods if proper monitoring is not in place.