CVE-2026-81205 in LDAP Active Directory Integration
Summary
by MITRE • 09/02/2026
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an LDAP Query ('LDAP Injection') vulnerability in Drupal LDAP / Active Directory Integration allows LDAP Injection. This issue affects LDAP / Active Directory Integration versions: from 0.0.0 to 2.2.1.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2026
The identified security flaw represents a classic instance of improper neutralization of special elements used within an Lightweight Directory Access Protocol query, commonly referred to as LDAP injection. This vulnerability resides specifically within the Drupal module designed for integrating with Active Directory and other LDAP directories. The core technical deficiency lies in the application's failure to adequately sanitize or escape user-supplied input before it is incorporated into dynamic LDAP search filters. In a secure implementation, any data originating from external sources must be strictly validated against expected formats and special characters that hold semantic meaning within the query language must be escaped or removed. However, in the affected versions of this module, ranging from version 0.0.0 up to 2.2.1, input parameters such as usernames or search queries are passed directly into LDAP bind operations or search requests without sufficient protective measures. This oversight allows an attacker to manipulate the structure of the intended query by injecting malicious LDAP syntax.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted. An authenticated user with access to specific login or search functionalities can exploit this flaw to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely. By crafting a specially crafted username string that includes logical operators such as ampersands, parentheses, and asterisks, an attacker can alter the logic of the LDAP filter. For instance, by appending a condition like (password=*) to a valid username field, the resulting query may return true regardless of whether the provided password is correct, effectively granting unauthorized access to user accounts. Beyond authentication bypass, this vulnerability also poses significant risks related to data exfiltration. An attacker could potentially expand search scopes or modify filter conditions to retrieve sensitive information stored within the directory, such as email addresses, group memberships, or other personally identifiable information that should remain restricted based on role-based access controls.
From a classification perspective, this issue aligns directly with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-90, which defines improper neutralization of special elements used in an SQL command, extended here to cover LDAP commands as well-known under the broader category of injection flaws. The exploitation technique maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK techniques associated with credential access and privilege escalation, specifically those involving input manipulation to bypass authentication controls. This vulnerability highlights a critical gap in secure coding practices where developers assume that user inputs are benign or rely solely on client-side validation rather than enforcing strict server-side sanitization protocols for directory service interactions.
Mitigation strategies must focus on immediate remediation of the codebase and broader architectural improvements. The primary solution is to upgrade the LDAP / Active Directory Integration module to a version later than 2.2.1, where this specific injection vector has been addressed through improved input handling mechanisms. For organizations unable to immediately patch due to compatibility constraints or testing requirements, temporary mitigations include implementing strict allow-listing for all user inputs related to directory queries, ensuring that only alphanumeric characters and basic punctuation are accepted while rejecting any LDAP special characters such as parentheses, asterisks, null bytes, and backslashes. Additionally, deploying a Web Application Firewall with rules capable of detecting anomalous LDAP query patterns can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking requests containing known injection signatures before they reach the application logic. Regular security audits focusing on directory integration components are also recommended to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other parts of the system that interact with external identity providers.