CVE-2005-1748 in WebLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE
The embedded LDAP server in BEA WebLogic Server and Express 8.1 through Service Pack 4, and 7.0 through Service Pack 5, allows remote anonymous binds, which may allow remote attackers to view user entries or cause a denial of service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-1748 represents a critical security flaw in the embedded LDAP server component of BEA WebLogic Server and Express versions 7.0 through Service Pack 5 and 8.1 through Service Pack 4. This issue stems from improper access control mechanisms that permit anonymous authentication attempts, creating a significant vector for unauthorized access to sensitive directory information. The flaw exists within the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol implementation that serves as an embedded directory service within the application server framework.
The technical nature of this vulnerability lies in the server's failure to properly enforce authentication requirements for LDAP operations. Specifically, the embedded LDAP server accepts anonymous bind requests without requiring proper credentials, allowing attackers to establish connections without authentication. This misconfiguration enables remote threat actors to perform directory queries against user entries and other directory information, potentially exposing sensitive organizational data including user accounts, group memberships, and other directory attributes. The vulnerability operates at the protocol level, leveraging standard LDAP bind operations that should normally require valid credentials to establish authenticated sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential denial of service conditions. Attackers can exploit the anonymous bind capability to consume server resources through excessive directory queries or by triggering resource-intensive operations within the LDAP server implementation. This dual nature of the vulnerability means organizations face both data exposure risks and service availability threats. The embedded nature of the LDAP server within WebLogic makes this particularly dangerous as it provides an attack surface that may not be immediately apparent to security monitoring systems. The vulnerability affects organizations using older versions of BEA WebLogic Server where the embedded LDAP functionality was enabled, creating a persistent risk for systems that have not been properly updated or patched.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the appropriate vendor patches and updates to eliminate the anonymous bind functionality, configuring access controls to restrict LDAP server access to authorized networks, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure of the affected components. Security administrators should also consider disabling the embedded LDAP server entirely if it is not required for business operations, as this removes the attack surface entirely. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1083 for file and directory discovery, highlighting the reconnaissance and credential exploitation aspects of the threat. Regular security assessments should verify that LDAP server configurations properly enforce authentication requirements and that no anonymous bind operations are permitted in production environments.