CVE-2026-15722
Description
A stack buffer overflow flaw was found in 389 Directory Server (389-ds-base). The get_ruvelement_from_berval() function in repl5_ruv.c copies digit characters from a network-supplied RUV berval into a fixed 16-byte stack buffer without bounds checking. A remote unauthenticated attacker can crash the LDAP server by sending a crafted StartNSDS50ReplicationRequest extended operation containing a replica ID field with more than 16 digit characters. The overflow occurs during payload decoding, before any authorization check. Stack protectors limit impact to denial of service.
Statement
This flaw allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to crash the 389 Directory Server (ns-slapd) by sending a single crafted LDAP extended operation targeting the replication subsystem. The overflow is triggered during payload decoding, before the server checks whether the caller is authorized, so no credentials are needed on default configurations where anonymous access is enabled. The overflow data is limited to ASCII digit characters and a null byte. Stack protectors and ASLR prevent the overflow from being leveraged for code execution — the stack canary detects the corruption and aborts the process. The practical impact is therefore limited to denial of service. Customers who have restricted network access to the LDAP port to trusted replication partners, or who have disabled anonymous access by setting nsslapd-allow-anonymous-access to 'off' or 'rootdse', are not exposed to unauthenticated exploitation of this flaw.
Mitigation
Disable anonymous access by setting nsslapd-allow-anonymous-access to 'off' or 'rootdse' in cn=config. Alternatively, restrict network access to the LDAP port to trusted replication partners only using firewall rules.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 7.5 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; 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: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Bypass Protection Mechanism
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of a program's implicit security policy.
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability,Access Control,Other
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; 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
Red Hat would like to thank Sebastián Alba Vives for reporting this issue.
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