CVE-2024-8445 is a vulnerability identified in the 389 Directory Server base software, specifically version 3.1.1. The issue arises from improper input validation related to the modification of the userPassword attribute. Although a previous vulnerability (CVE-2024-2199) was addressed, the fix was incomplete and did not cover all input scenarios. As a result, an authenticated user with privileges to modify userPassword can supply malformed input that causes the server process to crash, leading to a denial-of-service condition. The vulnerability does not allow unauthorized access or data manipulation but impacts the availability of the directory service. The CVSS v3.1 score is 5.7 (medium), reflecting the requirement for authentication (PR:L), local network attack vector (AV:A), low attack complexity (AC:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impact limited to availability (A:H). No known exploits have been reported in the wild, but the vulnerability poses a risk to environments relying on 389-ds-base for critical identity management functions. The vulnerability is particularly relevant for organizations using Red Hat or Fedora Linux distributions, where 389-ds-base is commonly deployed as an LDAP directory server. The root cause is insufficient sanitization or validation of input data when processing password modifications, which can trigger server crashes due to unexpected or malformed data structures.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-8445 is the potential for denial-of-service attacks against directory services that rely on 389-ds-base version 3.1.1. This can disrupt authentication, authorization, and identity management workflows, affecting internal and external services dependent on LDAP. Such disruptions can lead to operational downtime, loss of productivity, and potential cascading failures in connected systems. While confidentiality and integrity are not directly compromised, the availability impact can be significant, especially for organizations with critical infrastructure or services that depend on continuous directory availability. Industries such as finance, government, healthcare, and telecommunications in Europe, which often use enterprise-grade Linux distributions and directory services, may face increased risk. Additionally, the requirement for authenticated access limits the attack surface but does not eliminate risk from insider threats or compromised credentials. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future exploitation attempts.

1. Apply patches or updates from the 389-ds-base maintainers or your Linux distribution vendor as soon as they become available to address CVE-2024-8445. 2. Until patches are applied, restrict the ability to modify the userPassword attribute to only highly trusted and monitored accounts to reduce the risk of exploitation. 3. Implement robust monitoring and alerting on LDAP modification operations, especially those targeting userPassword attributes, to detect anomalous or malformed requests. 4. Employ network segmentation and access controls to limit which authenticated users or systems can interact with the directory server. 5. Conduct regular audits of directory server logs to identify unusual patterns or repeated failed modification attempts. 6. Consider deploying redundancy and failover mechanisms for directory services to minimize downtime in case of a crash. 7. Educate administrators and users about the importance of credential security to prevent unauthorized authenticated access. 8. Review and harden input validation policies and configurations where possible within the directory server settings to mitigate malformed input risks.