CVE-2016-8750

Vulnerability

Apache Karaf versions prior to 4.0.8 use the LDAPLoginModule to authenticate users against an LDAP directory. The username handling does not properly encode special characters, making the component vulnerable to LDAP injection attacks [1][3][4].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing a crafted username containing LDAP query special characters during authentication. The lack of input encoding allows the attacker to modify the LDAP search filter; however, the advisory notes that remote access is unlikely achievable. The attack can be performed with only network access to the Karaf instance and does not require prior authentication [3].

Impact

Successful exploitation leads to a denial of service (DoS) condition. The attacker can cause the LDAP query to fail or behave unexpectedly, potentially disrupting authentication services and affecting availability [1][3].

Mitigation

Apache Karaf users should upgrade to version 4.0.8 or later, which fixes the vulnerability [3][4]. Red Hat customers using JBoss Fuse or A-MQ 6.3 can apply the update described in RHSA-2018:1322 [2].