CVE-2014-3607 in Ldaptive
Summary
by MITRE
DefaultHostnameVerifier in Ldaptive (formerly vt-ldap) does not properly verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) field of the X.509 certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via an arbitrary valid certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3607 resides within the Ldaptive library, formerly known as vt-ldap, which is a popular Java library for LDAP operations. This flaw specifically affects the DefaultHostnameVerifier component responsible for validating SSL/TLS certificates during secure LDAP connections. The vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the certificate validation process that undermines the fundamental security assurances provided by SSL/TLS protocols.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper implementation of hostname verification logic within the DefaultHostnameVerifier class. Normally, when establishing SSL connections, the client should verify that the server certificate's subject field contains a domain name that matches the hostname being connected to. However, this vulnerability allows the library to accept certificates where the hostname does not match the Common Name field in the certificate's subject. This behavior enables attackers to perform man-in-the-middle attacks by presenting any valid certificate, even if it was issued for a different domain, thereby bypassing the essential certificate validation checks that should prevent such attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it completely undermines the security of LDAP connections that rely on SSL/TLS encryption. Attackers can intercept and manipulate communications between LDAP clients and servers by presenting a valid certificate for a different domain, effectively allowing them to impersonate legitimate servers. This vulnerability affects any application using Ldaptive library for LDAP operations over SSL/TLS connections, potentially exposing sensitive authentication data, user credentials, and directory information to unauthorized access. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques, making it accessible to a wide range of threat actors.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses "Improper Certificate Validation," and relates to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for "Phishing via Service Provider" and T1046 for "Network Service Scanning." Organizations using affected versions of Ldaptive should immediately upgrade to patched versions that properly implement hostname verification. The recommended mitigation includes updating to Ldaptive versions that address this specific validation flaw, implementing additional network-level security controls such as certificate pinning, and conducting thorough audits of all LDAP connections to ensure proper certificate validation is in place. Additionally, security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing network detection measures to identify suspicious certificate validation behaviors.