CVE-2025-14905
Description
A flaw was found in the 389-ds-base server. A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the schema_attr_enum_callback function within the schema.c file. This occurs because the code incorrectly calculates the buffer size by summing alias string lengths without accounting for additional formatting characters. When a large number of aliases are processed, this oversight can lead to a heap overflow, potentially allowing a remote attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) or achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE).
Statement
This vulnerability is rated Moderate for Red Hat Directory Server. A heap buffer overflow in the 389-ds-base component can lead to a denial of service or potential remote code execution. Exploitation requires high privileges on the Directory Server, limiting the attack surface to authenticated administrative users.
Mitigation
Restrict network access to the 389-ds-base server to only trusted hosts and networks using firewall rules. Additionally, ensure that administrative access to the server is strictly limited to authorized personnel with strong authentication, as exploitation requires high privileges. This reduces the attack surface and the likelihood of an attacker gaining the necessary privileges to trigger the heap overflow.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.2 | N/A | 7.2 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | High | N/A | High |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the program into an infinite loop.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Modify Memory
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy. Besides important user data, heap-based overflows can be used to overwrite function pointers that may be living in memory, pointing it to the attacker's code. Even in applications that do not explicitly use function pointers, the run-time will usually leave many in memory. For example, object methods in C++ are generally implemented using function pointers. Even in C programs, there is often a global offset table used by the underlying runtime.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism; Other
When the consequence is arbitrary code execution, this can often be used to subvert any other security service.
Acknowledgements
This issue was discovered by Red Hat Security Research Team (Red Hat Inc.).
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