dbcve.org
EdirectoryApplication · Novell

CVE-2009-2456

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The DS\NDSD component in Novell eDirectory 8.8 before SP5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (ndsd core dump) via an LDAP request containing multiple . (dot) wildcard characters in the Relative Distinguished Name (RDN).

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

The DS\NDSD component in Novell eDirectory 8.8 before SP5 contains a flaw in LDAP request parsing. When an LDAP request contains multiple dot (.) wildcard characters in the Relative Distinguished Name (RDN), it triggers a buffer handling error causing the ndsd daemon to crash and produce a core dump, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpgrade Novell eDirectory to version 8.8 SP5 or later to patch the vulnerable LDAP parsing code.

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

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
Partial

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

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
    Locate the ndsd daemon executable or check for eDirectory installation directories. On Linux/Unix, typical paths include /opt/novell/eDirectory or /usr/sbin/ndsd. On Windows, check Services for 'Novell eDirectory' or check Program Files for Novell eDirectory components.
    Affected if If ndsd daemon or eDirectory installation is not found, the system is not affected.
  2. Determine the installed eDirectory version
    Run the command to retrieve eDirectory version information. On Linux/Unix, this may be obtainable via 'ndsmanage -v' or by examining version files in the eDirectory installation directory. On Windows, check the properties of the ndsd service or examine version information in the registry under the Novell eDirectory key.
    Affected if If the version is 8.8 (without any service pack) or shows 8.8 SP1 through SP4, the system is potentially affected. The vulnerability exists in versions before SP5.
  3. Confirm service pack level
    Compare the installed version against the known affected range. If version shows 8.8.5 or later (SP5 or subsequent), the vulnerability is patched. If it shows only 8.8 or 8.8.x where x is less than 5, the version is within the vulnerable range.
    Affected if If the installed version is 8.8 without SP5 applied, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
  4. Verify LDAP service is enabled
    Check if the LDAP service within eDirectory is configured and running. This can be done by examining the ndsd configuration files (nds.conf) or by querying the LDAP service status through Novell iManager or by checking if port 389 or 636 (LDAP/LDAPS) is listening.
    Affected if If LDAP is not enabled or the LDAP service is not running, the specific denial of service vector is not applicable, though the vulnerable code may still exist in the daemon.
  5. Confirm ndsd daemon is running
    Verify the ndsd process is active on the system. On Linux/Unix, use 'ps aux | grep ndsd' or check system initialization scripts. On Windows, verify the 'Novell eDirectory' service status is 'Running'.
    Affected if If the ndsd daemon is not running, the immediate denial of service impact is not present, but the vulnerable code remains in the installation.

A system is affected if it runs Novell eDirectory version 8.8 without SP5 (or later) and has the ndsd daemon and LDAP service enabled, as the vulnerability triggers when the ndsd daemon processes a specially crafted LDAP request with multiple dot wildcard characters in the RDN.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Novell eDirectory to version 8.8 SP5 or later to patch the vulnerable LDAP parsing code.

Fix this in Edirectory Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,190
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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-2009-2456 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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