CVE-2007-5544 in Lotus Notes
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Lotus Notes before 6.5.6, and 7.x before 7.0.3; and Domino before 6.5.5 FP3, and 7.x before 7.0.2 FP1; uses weak permissions (Everyone:Full Control) for memory mapped files (shared memory) in IPC, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information, or inject Lotus Script or other character sequences into a session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/29/2019
This vulnerability resides in IBM Lotus Notes and Domino messaging platforms where weak file permissions create persistent security risks through improper access controls. The flaw manifests in the inter-process communication mechanism where memory mapped files are created with Everyone:Full Control permissions, allowing local attackers to manipulate shared memory segments. This design oversight creates a fundamental weakness in the security model that affects multiple product versions including Lotus Notes 6.5.6 and earlier, 7.x versions before 7.0.3, and Domino server versions before 6.5.5 FP3 and 7.0.2 FP1. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-276, which addresses incorrect permissions for critical resources, and represents a classic case of inadequate privilege separation in system components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables attackers to exploit the weak memory mapping permissions to either extract sensitive information from shared memory segments or inject malicious Lotus Script code and character sequences into active user sessions. This occurs because the system creates memory mapped files with overly permissive access controls that grant full control permissions to the Everyone group, bypassing normal security boundaries between processes. Attackers can leverage this to read confidential data stored in memory, modify session state, or inject arbitrary code that executes within the context of legitimate user sessions. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to include potential code execution and session hijacking scenarios.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Lotus Notes and Domino platforms for email, collaboration, and business applications. Local attackers with minimal privileges can exploit this weakness to gain access to sensitive business data, user credentials, or confidential communications stored in memory. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no network connectivity or remote exploitation capabilities, making it a low-effort, high-impact threat. The vulnerability can be exploited to establish persistent access within the system, potentially enabling further lateral movement or privilege escalation attacks. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation through improper access control mechanisms.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches and updates for both Lotus Notes and Domino platforms to address the weak permissions issue. System administrators should conduct thorough audits of existing memory mapped file permissions and implement proper access control lists that restrict permissions to only authorized users and processes. Additional mitigations include implementing least privilege principles for all system components, monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to shared memory segments, and conducting regular security assessments of inter-process communication mechanisms. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper privilege separation and access control in enterprise messaging systems, particularly those handling sensitive business information and user data.