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EdirectoryApplication · Novell

CVE-2008-5091

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2008-11-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.8 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Buffer overflow in the LDAP Service in Novell eDirectory 8.7.3 before SP10a and 8.8 before SP3 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via vectors involving an "invalid extensibleMatch filter."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the LDAP Service component of Novell eDirectory (versions 8.7.3 before SP10a and 8.8 before SP3). The flaw is triggered by sending a specially crafted LDAP query containing an invalid extensibleMatch filter, which causes the service to crash due to the buffer overflow.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches: upgrade eDirectory 8.7.3 to SP10a or later, and eDirectory 8.8 to SP3 or later. Alternatively, restrict LDAP access to trusted networks or disable the extensibleMatch filter feature if not required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
EdirectoryApplication
Affected:<= 8.8= 8.0= 8.5= 8.5.12a= 8.5.27= 8.6.2= 8.7= 8.7.1= 8.7.3= 8.7.3.8= 8.7.3.8_presp9= 8.7.3.9

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Novell eDirectory is installed
    Check for the eDirectory daemon (ndsd) or look in typical install locations such as /opt/novell/eDirectory or C:\Novell\eDirectory on Windows. Use commands like 'ps -ef | grep ndsd' on Unix/Linux or check Services on Windows.
    Affected if The eDirectory server software is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed eDirectory version
    Run the ndsstat command or check the version file in the eDirectory installation directory. On Windows, you can also check the version through the 'iMonitor' web interface or via registry keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Novell\eDirectory.
    Affected if The installed version is 8.7.3 (any patch level before SP10a), 8.8 (any patch level before SP3), or any other version listed in the affected products (8.0, 8.5, 8.5.12a, 8.5.27, 8.6.2, 8.7, 8.7.1, 8.7.3.8, 8.7.3.8_presp9, 8.7.3.9)
  3. Confirm the LDAP Service (nldap) is running
    Check if the LDAP service is active. On Unix/Linux, run 'ps -ef | grep nldap'. On Windows, check the 'Novell eDirectory LDAP Server' service status via Services or the 'net start' command.
    Affected if The LDAP service is running and the eDirectory version is vulnerable
  4. Verify the extensibleMatch filter is enabled
    Use iMonitor (typically at port 8080 or 8000) or the ndsconfig command to check LDAP configuration. Look for LDAP search settings that allow extensibleMatch filters, which is enabled by default in affected versions.
    Affected if The LDAP extensibleMatch filter feature is enabled (default state in vulnerable versions)

You are affected if Novell eDirectory is installed with a version between 8.0 and 8.7.3.9 (excluding 8.7.3 SP10a and later) or between 8.8 and 8.8 SP2 (excluding SP3 and later), and the LDAP service is running with extensibleMatch filter support enabled.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.8
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches: upgrade eDirectory 8.7.3 to SP10a or later, and eDirectory 8.8 to SP3 or later. Alternatively, restrict LDAP access to trusted networks or disable the extensibleMatch filter feature if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

eDirectory 8.7.3 SP10a or later, or eDirectory 8.8 SP3 or later

  1. Identify current eDirectory version by checking the iMonitor interface or using the ndsstat command
  2. For eDirectory 8.7.3: Download and install eDirectory 8.7.3 SP10a or later from Novell's download portal
  3. For eDirectory 8.8: Download and install eDirectory 8.8 SP3 or later from Novell's download portal
  4. Apply the service pack following Novell's installation documentation
  5. Restart the LDAP service (nldap) or reboot the server to ensure the patch takes effect
  6. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the eDirectory version in iMonitor
Caveat Service packs are typically backward compatible with minor version releases; ensure to test in a non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Edirectory Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2008-5091 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data