CVE-2007-1840 in LDAP Account Manager
Summary
by MITRE
lib/modules.inc in LDAP Account Manager (LAM) before 1.3.0 does not escape HTML special characters in LDAP data, which allows remote attackers to have an unknown impact, probably cross-site scripting (XSS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-1840 affects LDAP Account Manager version 1.3.0 and earlier, representing a critical security flaw in the web-based interface used for managing ldap accounts. This issue resides within the lib/modules.inc file where the application fails to properly sanitize user input data before displaying it in web pages. The root cause stems from inadequate HTML escaping mechanisms that leave special characters unprocessed, creating an exploitable condition that could be leveraged by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic cross-site scripting flaw where user-controllable data from LDAP directory entries flows directly into HTML output without proper sanitization. When LDAP data containing special HTML characters such as <, >, &, ", or ' is displayed in the web interface, these characters can be interpreted by web browsers as HTML or JavaScript code rather than literal text. This occurs because the application does not employ proper output encoding or escaping techniques to prevent the browser from executing malicious scripts embedded within the LDAP data. The vulnerability specifically impacts the lib/modules.inc file which handles module-related functionality and data presentation, making it a core component in the attack surface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or display issues, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of authenticated users' browsers. This could result in session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. Attackers could exploit this by injecting malicious payloads into LDAP attributes such as user names, descriptions, or other editable fields that are later displayed in the web interface. The unknown impact mentioned in the CVE description suggests that the full scope of potential exploitation methods remains unclear, but the XSS nature indicates severe security implications. According to CWE-79, this vulnerability maps directly to Cross-Site Scripting, while ATT&CK framework would categorize this under T1531 for Establishing Persistence and T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter techniques.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of proper HTML escaping and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application. The most effective approach involves implementing context-aware encoding for all data displayed in web interfaces, ensuring that special HTML characters are properly escaped before rendering. This includes using built-in escaping functions or libraries specifically designed for HTML output encoding. System administrators should also implement input validation to prevent malicious data from being stored in LDAP directories, though this is secondary to proper output sanitization. The most critical remediation is upgrading to LDAP Account Manager version 1.3.0 or later where this vulnerability has been addressed through proper HTML escaping implementation. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers as an additional defensive measure to limit script execution capabilities even if XSS attacks succeed. Regular security audits and input validation testing should be conducted to ensure no similar vulnerabilities exist in other parts of the application stack.