CVE-2010-4787 in Tivoli Directory Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Directory Server (TDS) 6.0 before 6.0.0.63 (aka 6.0.0.8-TIV-ITDS-IF0005) allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (daemon hang) via a paged search that triggers improper mutex processing.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4787 affects IBM Tivoli Directory Server version 6.0 before 6.0.0.63, representing a critical security flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to disrupt service availability through deliberate manipulation of directory search operations. This vulnerability specifically targets the server's handling of paged search requests, which are commonly used in directory services to manage large result sets efficiently. The issue manifests when the server processes certain paged search operations that trigger improper mutex handling within the daemon process, ultimately leading to daemon hanging and system unresponsiveness.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability resides in the improper mutex processing mechanism within the Tivoli Directory Server daemon implementation. When a remote authenticated user submits a specially crafted paged search request, the server's mutex synchronization logic fails to properly manage concurrent access to shared resources. This malfunction results in the daemon entering a state where it becomes unresponsive to further requests while holding locks on critical system resources. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the directory server daemon, specifically impacting the search processing subsystem that manages pagination operations for large directory queries. This type of flaw falls under the category of improper lock handling as classified by CWE-116, which represents a fundamental concurrency control issue that can lead to denial of service conditions.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4787 extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can severely compromise the availability of directory services critical to enterprise operations. Organizations relying on Tivoli Directory Server for authentication, authorization, and directory services would experience complete service outages when this vulnerability is exploited, potentially affecting thousands of users and applications that depend on directory lookups. The daemon hanging condition prevents any further search operations from completing successfully, effectively rendering the directory service inaccessible to legitimate users and applications. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where directory services are heavily utilized for user authentication, group membership lookups, and access control decisions, making it a significant concern for enterprise security infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patch version 6.0.0.63 or later, which addresses the mutex processing flaw in the paged search implementation. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the attack surface by restricting remote access to directory services where possible. Monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual patterns in search operations that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service, where adversaries leverage system resource exhaustion or improper handling of requests to disrupt service availability. Additionally, implementing rate limiting on search operations and configuring appropriate logging for directory access patterns can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider deploying intrusion detection systems capable of identifying malicious paged search patterns that could trigger the daemon hang condition.