CVE-2006-0580 in Lotus Domino
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Lotus Domino Server 7.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (segmentation fault) via a crafted packet to the LDAP port (389/TCP).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-0580 affects IBM Lotus Domino Server version 7.0 and represents a critical denial of service flaw that can be exploited remotely through the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol service. This vulnerability specifically targets the LDAP port 389/tcp which is commonly used for directory services and authentication operations within enterprise environments. The flaw manifests as a segmentation fault that occurs when the server processes a specially crafted packet, leading to an abrupt termination of the LDAP service and subsequent denial of service for legitimate users attempting to access directory services.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the LDAP processing component of IBM Lotus Domino Server 7.0. When a remote attacker sends a malformed or crafted packet to the LDAP port, the server fails to properly handle the malformed data structure, causing the application to crash with a segmentation fault. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though it specifically impacts the LDAP service rather than traditional application memory management. The flaw demonstrates poor error handling and input sanitization practices that allow malicious data to propagate through the system without proper validation mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments that rely on IBM Lotus Domino Server for directory services and email infrastructure. The denial of service condition effectively renders the LDAP service unavailable, disrupting authentication processes, directory lookups, and potentially affecting email services that depend on the Domino directory. Organizations using this vulnerable version may experience extended downtime as administrators need to restart the LDAP service and potentially investigate the attack vectors. The remote exploitation nature means that attackers can trigger the vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for systems exposed to the internet.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including network segmentation to restrict access to the LDAP port 389/tcp, deployment of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious LDAP traffic patterns, and application-level firewalls to filter malformed packets. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks and represents a classic example of how unvalidated input processing can lead to service disruption. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to patched versions of IBM Lotus Domino Server, as IBM released security updates specifically addressing this vulnerability. Additionally, monitoring for unusual LDAP traffic patterns and implementing proper access controls for directory services can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The incident underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar flaws in enterprise infrastructure components.