CVE-2010-4789 in Tivoli Directory Server
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the proxy-server implementation in IBM Tivoli Directory Server (TDS) 6.0 before 6.0.0.65 (aka 6.0.0.8-TIV-ITDS-IF0007) and 6.3 before 6.3.0.1 (aka 6.3.0.0-TIV-ITDS-IF0001) allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a paged search that is interrupted by an LDAP Unbind operation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2018
The vulnerability CVE-2010-4789 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in IBM Tivoli Directory Server's proxy-server implementation that demonstrates a fundamental memory management weakness in enterprise directory services software. This issue affects versions 6.0 before 6.0.0.65 and 6.3 before 6.3.0.1, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by authenticated remote attackers. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the proxy-server handles paged search operations that are prematurely terminated by LDAP Unbind operations, leading to a daemon crash that constitutes a denial of service condition. The flaw falls under CWE-416, which classifies use-after-free vulnerabilities as a critical memory safety issue where freed memory is accessed, potentially leading to system instability or exploitation.
The technical execution of this vulnerability requires an attacker to first establish an authenticated LDAP connection to the Tivoli Directory Server, which provides the necessary privileges to perform paged searches. During a paged search operation, the server allocates memory to handle the search results and maintains references to this memory space. When an LDAP Unbind operation interrupts the paged search before completion, the server's proxy implementation fails to properly manage the memory cleanup process, resulting in a situation where freed memory is subsequently accessed during the unbind operation. This memory management failure directly leads to a segmentation fault or similar crash condition that terminates the daemon process, effectively rendering the directory service unavailable to legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it affects the core functionality of directory services that many enterprise applications depend upon for authentication, authorization, and user management. Organizations utilizing IBM Tivoli Directory Server in production environments face significant risk of service interruptions, particularly during peak usage periods when paged searches are common. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it from external networks without requiring physical access to the server infrastructure. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which describes network denial of service attacks targeting services that are critical to enterprise operations. The impact is particularly severe in environments where directory services support critical business applications, potentially leading to cascading failures across interconnected systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4789 should prioritize immediate patch application to the affected IBM Tivoli Directory Server versions, with the specific fixes being 6.0.0.65 and 6.3.0.1 releases that address the memory management issues in the proxy-server implementation. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit the attack surface by restricting unauthorized LDAP access to directory servers. Monitoring for unusual LDAP Unbind patterns and paged search operations could help detect potential exploitation attempts, while implementing redundant directory services or failover mechanisms can provide resilience against service disruption. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous LDAP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and regular vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar memory safety issues in other enterprise directory services and LDAP implementations.