CVE-2007-3458 in Solaris
Summary
by MITRE
The libsldap library in Sun Solaris 8, 9, and 10 allows local users to cause a denial of service (Name Service Caching Daemon (nscd) crash) via unspecified vectors.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-3458 represents a critical denial of service weakness within the libsldap library component of Sun Solaris operating systems versions 8, 9, and 10. This flaw specifically targets the Name Service Caching Daemon nscd service which plays a fundamental role in caching name service lookups to improve system performance and reduce network overhead. The vulnerability exists within the ldap library implementation that handles Lightweight Directory Access Protocol operations, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by local users who have minimal privileges. The issue stems from improper handling of certain ldap operations that can trigger memory corruption or resource exhaustion conditions within the nscd daemon process, leading to its unexpected termination and subsequent system service disruption.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors that likely involve malformed or specially crafted ldap requests processed by the affected libsldap library. When nscd receives such requests, it fails to properly validate input parameters or handle error conditions, resulting in a crash of the caching daemon process. This behavior aligns with common software security weaknesses categorized under CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflows, and CWE-122, which covers heap-based buffer overflows that can lead to memory corruption. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of improper input validation and error handling that are frequently exploited in denial of service attacks targeting system services.
From an operational perspective, the impact of CVE-2007-3458 extends beyond simple service disruption as it affects the fundamental name resolution capabilities of affected Solaris systems. When nscd crashes, all applications relying on cached name service lookups experience performance degradation or complete failure to resolve hostnames and user accounts. This vulnerability particularly threatens enterprise environments where Solaris systems serve as critical infrastructure components for authentication, directory services, and network resource discovery. The local privilege requirement means that even unprivileged users can potentially exploit this weakness, making it a significant concern for system administrators who must maintain strict access controls and monitor user activities on production systems.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate system patching through official Sun Microsystems updates or security advisories. System administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect nscd crash patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, utilizing security information and event management systems to correlate log data from authentication services and system logs. The implementation of network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential impact of local exploitation, while regular system auditing should verify that nscd is properly configured and that no unauthorized modifications exist to the ldap library components. Organizations should also consider implementing application-level controls that can detect and prevent malformed ldap requests from reaching the vulnerable nscd service, potentially through the use of intrusion detection systems or application firewalls that can filter suspicious network traffic patterns associated with this particular vulnerability class.