pam_ldap: Authentication bypass vulnerability — GLSA 200508-22

pam_ldap contains a vulnerability that may allow a remote attacker to gain system access.

Affected packages

sys-auth/pam_ldap on all architectures
Affected versions < 180
Unaffected versions >= 180

Background

pam_ldap is a Pluggable Authentication Module which allows authentication against LDAP directories.

Description

When a pam_ldap client attempts to authenticate against an LDAP server that omits the optional error value from the PasswordPolicyResponseValue, the authentication attempt will always succeed.

Impact

A remote attacker may exploit this vulnerability to bypass the LDAP authentication mechanism, gaining access to the system possibly with elevated privileges.

Workaround

There is no known workaround at this time.

Resolution

All pam_ldap users should upgrade to the latest version:

 # emerge --sync
 # emerge --ask --oneshot --verbose ">=sys-auth/pam_ldap-180"

References

Release date
August 31, 2005

Latest revision
August 31, 2005: 01

Severity
normal

Exploitable
remote

Bugzilla entries