A new security vulnerability has been discovered in the Lightweight Account Manager (LAM) package, a widely used tool for managing LDAP directories.
The flaw, identified as GHSA-6cp9-j5r7-xhcc, allows attackers to set arbitrary configuration values due to improper input validation.
This vulnerability affects all versions of LAM up to and including 8.9, with a patch available in version 9.0.
The issue arises from insufficient sanitization of configuration values set via mainmanage.php
and confmain.php
.
Attackers can exploit this flaw to bypass mitigations for a previous vulnerability, CVE-2024-23333, and potentially disrupt system functionality by injecting malicious configuration values.
The vulnerability stems from how LAM processes and stores configuration data. Configuration values are written line-by-line into files such as config.cfg
or serverprofile.conf
.
By inserting a newline character into certain fields, attackers can smuggle additional arbitrary settings into these files.
For instance, an attacker could manipulate the session timeout field in confmain.php to inject a malicious value for logDestination.
This would result in two conflicting entries, with the malicious value overriding the valid one. Such manipulation effectively bypasses filename validation for critical settings.
When processed, the resulting configuration file includes the injected malicious value, potentially redirecting logs to unauthorized locations or executing unintended scripts.
Potential Impact on Systems
This vulnerability poses several risks to affected systems:
- Bypassing Security Mitigations: Attackers can override safeguards implemented to address previous vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-23333.
- Disruption of Service: Malicious settings, such as invalid password configurations, could render systems inaccessible.
- Expanded Attack Surface: For server profiles, attackers may gain direct access to the properties of the
LamConfig
object through reflection, leading to further exploitation opportunities.
The ability to manipulate arbitrary configuration values makes this flaw particularly dangerous for environments relying on LAM for secure LDAP management.
Mitigation and Recommendations
Users of LAM are strongly advised to upgrade to version 9.0 immediately, as it includes patches addressing this vulnerability.
Administrators should also review existing configuration files for signs of tampering and validate all settings against expected values.
To prevent similar issues in the future, developers are encouraged to implement stricter input validation and sanitization mechanisms for configuration fields.
Regular security audits and penetration testing can also help identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
This incident underscores the importance of robust input validation in software design, particularly for tools managing sensitive infrastructure like LDAP directories.
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