Overview
The vulnerability CVE-2025-48014 pertains to a flaw in LDAP authentication systems where password guessing limits could be bypassed, potentially leading to unauthorized access of sensitive data and system compromise. This vulnerability is especially concerning for organizations utilizing LDAP for authentication purposes as it can enable attackers to gain unauthorized access bypassing traditional security measures.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-48014
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
LDAP Authentication Systems | All prior versions to patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of a flaw in the LDAP authentication process that does not properly enforce the password guessing limit. Thus, an attacker can continuously guess passwords without being locked out, thereby potentially gaining unauthorized access to the system.
Conceptual Example Code
Here is a conceptual example of how an attacker may attempt to exploit this vulnerability:
while true; do
for password in $(cat password_list.txt); do
echo "Trying password: $password"
ldapwhoami -H ldap://target.example.com -x -D "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com" -w $password
done
doneIn the above example, an attacker uses a script to continuously guess passwords from a precompiled list (`password_list.txt`), attempting to authenticate as the ‘admin’ user on a target LDAP server. The script will continue to guess passwords until it is manually stopped, taking advantage of the password guessing limit bypass vulnerability.
Mitigation Guidance
To mitigate this vulnerability, vendors are recommended to apply the latest patches that properly enforce the password guessing limit. As a temporary measure, organizations can utilize Web Application Firewalls (WAF) or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) to identify and block repeated failed login attempts.
