CVE-2016-9167
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 · uneditedNDSD in Novell eDirectory before 9.0.2 did not calculate ACLs on LDAP objects across partition boundaries correctly, which could lead to a privilege escalation by modifying user attributes that would otherwise be filtered by an ACL.
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 confidenceNDSD (Novell eDirectory daemon) fails to correctly calculate Access Control Lists on LDAP objects when they span directory partition boundaries. This allows authenticated users to bypass ACL restrictions and modify user attributes that should be protected, enabling privilege escalation.
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<= 9.0.1CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify Novell eDirectory is installedCheck if the ndsd process is running on the system. On Linux/Unix, run: ps -ef | grep ndsd. On Windows, check the Services list for 'Novell eDirectory Service'. Alternatively, look for eDirectory binaries in the installation directory (typically /opt/novell/eDirectory/bin/ndsd on Linux).Affected if If ndsd is not found or eDirectory is not installed, this CVE does not apply to your environment
-
Determine the installed eDirectory versionRun the version check command for your platform. On Linux/Unix: /opt/novell/eDirectory/bin/ndsd --version. On Windows: check the 'Version' property of the ndsserver service or inspect the installation log files. Also check the installed package version using the system package manager.Affected if If the installed version is 9.0.1 or earlier, the system falls within the affected version range for this CVE
-
Confirm LDAP service is enabledVerify that the LDAP service is configured and running. Use ndsconfig to query LDAP status: ndsconfig get n4u.server.ldap-enabled. Alternatively, check if LDAP ports (389 or 636) are listening using netstat or ss command.Affected if LDAP must be enabled for this vulnerability to be exploitable; if LDAP is disabled, the attack surface is reduced but the flawed code still exists in the affected version
-
Check for directory partition boundariesUse Novell iMonitor or dsrepair utility to examine the directory tree structure. Run: dsrepair -E to display partition information. Look for multiple partitions in the eDirectory tree.Affected if The vulnerability specifically manifests when ACLs span directory partition boundaries; if your tree has only a single partition, the flaw may not be triggerable but the vulnerable code still exists in affected versions
Your environment is affected if Novell eDirectory is installed with a version of 9.0.1 or earlier and LDAP is enabled, regardless of whether multiple partitions exist (the vulnerable code is present in all affected versions).
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Novell eDirectory to version 9.0.2 or later to patch the ACL calculation flaw. After upgrading, verify that ACLs correctly enforce access controls across all partition boundaries.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9167 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-9167 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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