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Directory ServerApplication · Redhat

CVE-2024-6237

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
A flaw was found in the 389 Directory Server. This flaw allows an unauthenticated user to cause a systematic server crash while sending a specific extended search request, leading to a denial of service.

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 · moderate confidence

A flaw in the 389 Directory Server allows unauthenticated remote attackers to cause a repeatable server crash by sending a specifically crafted extended search request, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationApply available patches or updates for 389 Directory Server to remediate this vulnerability; until patched, consider network-level restrictions to limit exposure to unauthenticated attackers.

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
Directory ServerApplication
Affected:= 12.0
389 Directory ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0

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
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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. Check if 389 Directory Server is installed
    Run 'rpm -qa | grep -E "389-ds-base|redhat-ds-occ"' or check for the 'ns-slapd' process
    Affected if No 389 Directory Server packages found or process not running means not affected by this CVE
  2. Verify the installed package version
    Run 'rpm -q 389-ds-base' or check the specific package name found in the previous step
    Affected if All versions of 389-ds-base and Redhat Directory Server are listed as affected; presence of any unpatched version means potentially affected
  3. Confirm the directory server service is running
    Run 'systemctl status dirsrv@*' or 'ps aux | grep ns-slapd'
    Affected if If the service is not running, the vulnerability cannot be exploited at this time, though the unpatched software remains installed
  4. Check network exposure of the LDAP service
    Run 'netstat -tlnp | grep -E "389|636"' or check firewall rules with 'firewall-cmd --list-all' to see if LDAP ports are accessible to unauthenticated network attackers
    Affected if If LDAP ports (389/636) are exposed to untrusted networks without authentication restrictions, the server is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote DoS attacks

A system is affected if 389 Directory Server is installed (any unpatched version) and the LDAP service is network-accessible to unauthenticated attackers, allowing them to trigger the crash via crafted extended search requests.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply available patches or updates for 389 Directory Server to remediate this vulnerability; until patched, consider network-level restrictions to limit exposure to unauthenticated attackers.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest stable 389-ds-base release (contact Red Hat for RHEL-specific errata)

  1. Check for available updates for 389-ds-base or 389-ds-container packages in your distribution's package repository
  2. For RHEL/CentOS/Enterprise Linux systems: run 'dnf update 389-ds-base' or 'yum update 389-ds-base' to apply the latest available package
  3. Restart the directory server after applying the update: 'systemctl restart ds-container@<instance-name>.service' or equivalent for your setup
  4. Verify the server is running and accepting connections after restart
  5. Monitor server logs for any errors or repeated crash events to confirm the vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or schema changes that may require updating existing setups

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

Fix this in Directory Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2024-6237 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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