CVE-2005-2377 in Mandrake Linux
Summary
by MITRE
nss_ldap 181 to versions before 213, as used in Mandrake Corporate Server and Mandrake 10.0, and other operating systems, does not properly handle a SIGPIPE signal when sending a search request to an LDAP directory server, which might allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crond and other application crash) if they can cause an LDAP server to become unavailable. NOTE: it is not clear whether this attack scenario is sufficient to include this item in CVE.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/05/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-2377 represents a critical flaw in the nss_ldap library implementation that affects various enterprise Linux distributions including Mandrake Corporate Server and Mandrake 10.0. This issue specifically targets the Network Security Services LDAP (nss_ldap) module version 181 through versions prior to 213, where the library fails to properly manage SIGPIPE signals during LDAP search operations. The technical root cause lies in the improper signal handling mechanism that occurs when the LDAP client attempts to communicate with a directory server that becomes unavailable or unresponsive. When an LDAP server fails to respond appropriately, the nss_ldap library does not adequately process the SIGPIPE signal that is automatically generated by the operating system, leading to unpredictable application behavior and potential system crashes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass broader system stability concerns within enterprise environments that rely heavily on LDAP directory services for authentication and authorization. When attackers can force an LDAP server to become unavailable through network manipulation or server compromise, they can trigger the flawed SIGPIPE handling behavior in the nss_ldap library. This results in cascading failures that can crash not only the LDAP client applications but also critical system daemons such as crond, which is responsible for executing scheduled tasks and maintaining system operations. The vulnerability particularly affects systems where LDAP is integrated into the name service switch configuration, making it a potential vector for widespread service degradation across multiple applications that depend on LDAP for user and group information retrieval.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-248, which addresses the exposure of an exception to an unknown user, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1499.1, which covers the use of network denial of service attacks to disrupt services. The attack scenario requires an adversary to either compromise the LDAP server directly or manipulate network conditions to force server unavailability, after which the vulnerable nss_ldap library will crash upon receiving the SIGPIPE signal. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper signal handling in security-critical system components and highlights the need for robust error management in distributed authentication systems. Organizations using affected versions of nss_ldap should implement immediate mitigations through version updates, as well as network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of comprehensive testing of signal handling mechanisms in security libraries, particularly those that operate in critical system paths where application stability directly impacts overall system security posture.