CVE-2020-36230 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2020-36230, a flaw in OpenLDAP before 2.4.57 causing an assertion failure in slapd, leading to denial of service. Find out how to mitigate this vulnerability.
A flaw was discovered in OpenLDAP before 2.4.57 leading to an assertion failure in slapd, resulting in a denial of service.
Understanding CVE-2020-36230
This CVE involves a vulnerability in OpenLDAP that could be exploited to cause a denial of service.
What is CVE-2020-36230?
CVE-2020-36230 is a vulnerability found in OpenLDAP before version 2.4.57. The flaw leads to an assertion failure in slapd due to issues in X.509 DN parsing in decode.c ber_next_element, resulting in a denial of service.
The Impact of CVE-2020-36230
The vulnerability can be exploited to trigger a denial of service condition in the OpenLDAP software, potentially disrupting services and causing system unavailability.
Technical Details of CVE-2020-36230
This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the CVE.
Vulnerability Description
The flaw in OpenLDAP before version 2.4.57 results in an assertion failure in slapd due to problems in X.509 DN parsing in decode.c ber_next_element.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: OpenLDAP
- Vendor: N/A
- Versions affected: N/A
Exploitation Mechanism
The vulnerability can be exploited by sending specially crafted X.509 DN data to the affected OpenLDAP server, triggering the assertion failure and leading to a denial of service.
Mitigation and Prevention
Protecting systems from CVE-2020-36230 requires immediate actions and long-term security measures.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply the security update provided by OpenLDAP to patch the vulnerability.
- Monitor network traffic for any signs of exploitation attempts.
- Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly update and patch software to address known vulnerabilities.
- Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate weaknesses.
- Educate system administrators and users on best security practices to prevent future incidents.
Patching and Updates
Ensure that OpenLDAP is updated to version 2.4.57 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability and enhance the security of the LDAP service.