CVE-2012-3981 in Bugzilla
Summary
by MITRE
Auth/Verify/LDAP.pm in Bugzilla 2.x and 3.x before 3.6.11, 3.7.x and 4.0.x before 4.0.8, 4.1.x and 4.2.x before 4.2.3, and 4.3.x before 4.3.3 does not restrict the characters in a username, which might allow remote attackers to inject data into an LDAP directory via a crafted login attempt.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-3981 represents a critical authentication flaw within Bugzilla's LDAP integration mechanism that affects multiple versions of the popular bug tracking system. This issue stems from insufficient input validation in the Auth/Verify/LDAP.pm module, which handles user authentication through Lightweight Directory Access Protocol connections. The flaw allows malicious actors to exploit the lack of character restrictions in username fields during login attempts, potentially enabling unauthorized data injection into LDAP directories. The vulnerability specifically impacts Bugzilla versions 2.x and 3.x prior to 3.6.11, 3.7.x and 4.0.x prior to 4.0.8, 4.1.x and 4.2.x prior to 4.2.3, and 4.3.x prior to 4.3.3, creating a widespread attack surface across several major release branches. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-20 category, representing improper input validation where applications fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing it in security-sensitive contexts.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through crafted username inputs that contain special characters or sequences that can be interpreted by LDAP directory services as commands or data injection points. When a user attempts to log in with a specially crafted username, the LDAP module processes this input without adequate sanitization, allowing the malicious data to be interpreted by the underlying LDAP directory server. This can result in unauthorized modifications to directory entries, potential elevation of privileges, or even complete compromise of the LDAP directory structure. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of authentication and directory service integration, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged to manipulate user accounts, access restricted resources, or disrupt directory services entirely. Attackers can exploit this weakness to inject malicious entries into the LDAP directory, potentially creating backdoors or modifying existing user permissions.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-3981 extends beyond simple authentication bypasses, as it can lead to significant security breaches within organizations that rely on LDAP integration for user management. Organizations using affected Bugzilla versions face risks of unauthorized access to their bug tracking systems, potential data corruption within LDAP directories, and possible privilege escalation attacks that could allow attackers to assume administrative roles. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where Bugzilla serves as a central authentication point for development teams, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to gain access to sensitive project information, modify bug reports, or manipulate user permissions within the system. This weakness also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts used for persistence and privilege escalation, as attackers could potentially create legitimate-looking user accounts within the LDAP directory structure.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of Bugzilla that address this vulnerability, implementing additional input validation at the network level, and monitoring LDAP directory access logs for suspicious activity. The recommended approach involves applying the official patches released by the Bugzilla development team for each affected version branch, as these updates include proper character validation and sanitization mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing network segmentation to limit direct LDAP access from Bugzilla systems, deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for unusual authentication patterns, and establishing regular security audits of LDAP directory structures to detect any unauthorized modifications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in security-sensitive components and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of authentication modules that integrate with external directory services, particularly in enterprise environments where such integrations are common.