CVE-2015-8149 in Encryption Management Server
Summary
by MITRE
The LDAP service in Symantec Encryption Management Server (SEMS) 3.3.2 before MP12 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption and service outage) via crafted requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-8149 affects Symantec Encryption Management Server version 3.3.2 before MP12, specifically within its Lightweight Directory Access Protocol service implementation. This issue represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against the affected system. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation mechanisms within the LDAP service component, which fails to adequately sanitize or process malformed requests submitted by unauthorized users. The flaw manifests as heap memory corruption, a condition that occurs when the application attempts to write data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory segments, leading to unpredictable system behavior and eventual service disruption.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack vector requires remote access through the LDAP service port, typically TCP 389 or LDAPS on port 636, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from any network location without requiring physical access or authentication credentials. When crafted malicious requests are processed by the vulnerable SEMS service, the heap corruption causes memory allocation errors that ultimately result in application crashes and complete service outages, effectively rendering the encryption management functionality unavailable to legitimate users.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on Symantec Encryption Management Server for their data protection infrastructure. The denial of service impact extends beyond simple service unavailability, as the encryption management server typically handles critical cryptographic operations including key management, certificate processing, and encryption policy enforcement. Service outages can lead to data accessibility issues, compliance violations, and potential business disruption when encryption services become unavailable during critical operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target the system from external networks, making it particularly attractive for malicious actors seeking to disrupt business operations or create opportunities for additional attacks.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Symantec's official patches and updates released for MP12 and subsequent versions. The mitigation strategy should include network segmentation to limit access to the LDAP service ports, implementing firewall rules to restrict connections to authorized administrative systems only, and monitoring network traffic for suspicious LDAP request patterns. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on malformed LDAP requests that match the vulnerability characteristics. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, where adversaries leverage application-level flaws to exhaust system resources or corrupt memory structures. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar issues in other enterprise systems, as the vulnerability pattern suggests potential similar flaws in other LDAP implementations or network services that may be susceptible to similar heap corruption attacks.