CVE-2007-2475 in SecureLogin
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the ADSCHEMA utility in Novell SecureLogin (NSL) 6 SP1 before 6.0.106 has unknown impact and remote attack vectors, related to granting "users excess permissions to their own attributes."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2475 affects Novell SecureLogin version 6 Service Pack 1 prior to 6.0.106, specifically within the ADSCHEMA utility component. This issue represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to gain excessive permissions to their own attributes within the SecureLogin environment. The unspecified nature of the impact and attack vectors suggests that the vulnerability may manifest in multiple ways, potentially affecting various aspects of the authentication and authorization framework. The core problem lies in the improper handling of user attribute permissions during schema processing operations, creating a scenario where legitimate users could exploit this weakness to elevate their privileges or access restricted data.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate access control mechanisms within the ADSCHEMA utility, which is responsible for managing directory schema definitions and attribute permissions. When processing user attribute modifications, the utility fails to properly validate or enforce permission boundaries, allowing users to manipulate their own attribute data in ways that should be restricted. This vulnerability operates at the intersection of identity management and access control, where the system's schema processing logic does not adequately distinguish between user-requested attribute modifications and potentially malicious attempts to expand one's privileges. The flaw aligns with CWE-264, which addresses permissions, privileges, and access control issues, particularly in scenarios involving attribute manipulation within directory services. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to the integrity of the authentication system, as it could enable attackers to bypass normal access controls and potentially escalate privileges to higher-level administrative functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model within Novell SecureLogin's authentication framework. Attackers could potentially leverage this weakness to modify their own user attributes in ways that provide unauthorized access to systems or data, or to create persistent backdoors within the authentication infrastructure. The remote attack vectors suggest that this vulnerability could be exploited over network connections without requiring physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where network-based attacks are common. The unspecified nature of the impact means that the actual consequences could range from data exposure to complete system compromise, depending on how the vulnerability is exploited and the specific configuration of the affected environment. This vulnerability directly relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through legitimate access, as it allows users to exploit their own legitimate permissions to gain unauthorized access to restricted resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2007-2475 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Novell SecureLogin installations to version 6.0.106 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes for the ADSCHEMA utility. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring of attribute modification activities within their SecureLogin environment, particularly focusing on user attribute changes that could indicate privilege escalation attempts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security audits should verify that attribute permissions are properly enforced throughout the directory service. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control enforcement in directory service utilities, as well as the need for comprehensive security testing of schema processing components. Security teams should also consider implementing automated alerting for unusual attribute modification patterns and maintain detailed audit logs to track potential exploitation attempts. Given the age of this vulnerability and the critical nature of identity management systems, organizations should conduct thorough assessments of their legacy SecureLogin installations to identify any remaining unpatched systems that could be at risk from similar issues.