CVE-2018-14628 in Samba
Summary
by MITRE • 01/17/2023
An information leak vulnerability was discovered in Samba's LDAP server. Due to missing access control checks, an authenticated but unprivileged attacker could discover the names and preserved attributes of deleted objects in the LDAP store.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2025
The vulnerability CVE-2018-14628 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Samba's Lightweight Directory Access Protocol implementation that undermines the fundamental security assumptions of directory services. This issue specifically affects the LDAP server component of Samba, which serves as a bridge between Windows Active Directory environments and Unix/Linux systems, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to extract sensitive organizational data. The vulnerability arises from inadequate access control mechanisms that fail to properly enforce authorization boundaries when processing LDAP queries against deleted objects within the directory store.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper access control validation during LDAP operations targeting deleted directory entries. When an authenticated user submits an LDAP query, the system should verify whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to access the specific object being queried. However, Samba's implementation fails to perform these essential checks for deleted objects, allowing unauthorized access to metadata and preserved attributes that should remain protected. This flaw operates at the application level and manifests when the LDAP server processes requests for objects that have been removed from the active directory but still maintain their attribute history within the backend storage system.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-14628 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it provides attackers with valuable reconnaissance information that can facilitate more sophisticated attacks against the targeted environment. An authenticated attacker with minimal privileges can enumerate deleted objects and their associated metadata, potentially uncovering sensitive information such as user account details, group memberships, and organizational structures that were previously hidden. This information leakage can significantly aid in planning subsequent attacks, including credential harvesting, privilege escalation attempts, and social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Samba for directory services and have strict compliance requirements around data protection and access control.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from Samba developers, which address the missing access control checks in the LDAP server implementation. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual LDAP query patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms in software systems. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1087.001 for account discovery and T1005 for data from local system, as attackers can leverage the information leak to expand their knowledge of the target environment and identify potential attack vectors. Regular security audits of directory services and privileged access management controls should be strengthened to prevent unauthorized enumeration of deleted objects and maintain the integrity of sensitive organizational data.