📄 Description (English)
PAC4J is vulnerable to LDAP Injection in multiple methods. A low-privileged remote attacker can inject crafted LDAP syntax into ID-based search parameters, potentially resulting in unauthorized LDAP queries and arbitrary directory operations.
This issue was fixed in PAC4J versions 4.5.10, 5.7.10 and 6.4.1
🤖 AI Executive Summary
PAC4J versions prior to 4.5.10, 5.7.10, and 6.4.1 contain an LDAP injection vulnerability (CVE-2026-40459) with CVSS 8.8 that allows low-privileged remote attackers to inject malicious LDAP syntax through ID-based search parameters. This enables unauthorized LDAP queries and arbitrary directory operations, potentially compromising authentication systems and directory services. Organizations using PAC4J for authentication must prioritize immediate patching to prevent unauthorized access to critical systems.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 23, 2026 09:44
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
Saudi organizations using PAC4J for authentication and directory services face significant risk, particularly: (1) Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) relying on LDAP for employee/customer authentication could experience unauthorized access to financial systems; (2) Government agencies (NCA oversight) using PAC4J for identity management could have directory operations compromised; (3) Healthcare providers using LDAP-based authentication could face patient data exposure; (4) Telecom operators (STC, Mobily) using PAC4J for subscriber management could experience service disruption; (5) Energy sector (ARAMCO, utilities) with LDAP-integrated systems could face operational technology compromise. The vulnerability's low attack complexity and remote exploitability make it particularly dangerous in Saudi's interconnected enterprise environments.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services (SAMA-regulated)
Government and Public Administration (NCA oversight)
Healthcare and Medical Services
Telecommunications (STC, Mobily, Zain)
Energy and Utilities (ARAMCO, regional utilities)
Education (universities, research institutions)
Insurance and Investment Services
E-commerce and Digital Services
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1110 - Brute Force (LDAP enumeration attacks)
T1040 - Network Sniffing (LDAP traffic interception)
T1078 - Valid Accounts (unauthorized LDAP queries for credential harvesting)
T1087 - Account Discovery (LDAP directory enumeration)
T1021 - Remote Services (LDAP-based lateral movement)
T1556 - Modify Authentication Process (LDAP injection to bypass authentication)
T1589 - Gather Victim Identity Information (LDAP data extraction)
T1190 - Exploit Public-Facing Application (remote exploitation of PAC4J)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
8.2
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all systems running PAC4J versions < 4.5.10, < 5.7.10, or < 6.4.1 using software inventory tools
2. Isolate or restrict network access to affected PAC4J instances pending patching
3. Review LDAP query logs for suspicious patterns (unusual characters, wildcard injections, filter manipulation)
4. Monitor authentication failures and successful logins from unusual sources
PATCHING GUIDANCE:
1. Upgrade PAC4J to version 4.5.10, 5.7.10, or 6.4.1 immediately (patch available)
2. Test patches in non-production environments first
3. Coordinate patching with dependent applications (Spring Security, Shiro integrations)
4. Verify LDAP connectivity post-patch
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if patching delayed):
1. Implement WAF rules to block LDAP injection patterns: *, (, ), &, |, !, =, ~, <, >, /, \
2. Apply input validation/sanitization at application layer for all LDAP search parameters
3. Use LDAP query parameterization/prepared statements exclusively
4. Restrict LDAP service account permissions to minimum required operations
5. Enable LDAP query logging and alerting
6. Implement network segmentation isolating LDAP servers
7. Enforce strong authentication for LDAP service accounts
DETECTION RULES:
1. Monitor for LDAP filter syntax in HTTP parameters: regex patterns containing *, (, ), &, |
2. Alert on LDAP queries with unexpected complexity or length
3. Track failed LDAP bind attempts followed by successful authentication
4. Monitor for directory enumeration patterns (wildcard searches, recursive queries)
5. Log all LDAP operations with source IP and user context
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع الأنظمة التي تقوم بتشغيل إصدارات PAC4J < 4.5.10 أو < 5.7.10 أو < 6.4.1 باستخدام أدوات جرد البرامج
2. عزل أو تقييد الوصول إلى الشبكة لمثيلات PAC4J المتأثرة في انتظار التصحيح
3. مراجعة سجلات استعلامات LDAP للأنماط المريبة (أحرف غير عادية، حقن البدل، معالجة المرشحات)
4. مراقبة فشل المصادقة والتسجيلات الناجحة من مصادر غير عادية
إرشادات التصحيح:
1. ترقية PAC4J إلى الإصدار 4.5.10 أو 5.7.10 أو 6.4.1 فوراً
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. تنسيق التصحيح مع التطبيقات التابعة (تكاملات Spring Security و Shiro)
4. التحقق من اتصال LDAP بعد التصحيح
الضوابط البديلة (إذا تأخر التصحيح):
1. تطبيق قواعد WAF لحجب أنماط حقن LDAP: *, (, ), &, |, !, =, ~, <, >, /, \
2. تطبيق التحقق من الإدخال/التطهير على مستوى التطبيق لجميع معاملات بحث LDAP
3. استخدام معاملات استعلام LDAP/البيانات المحضرة حصراً
4. تقييد أذونات حساب خدمة LDAP للعمليات المطلوبة بحد أدنى
5. تفعيل تسجيل استعلامات LDAP والتنبيهات
6. تطبيق تقسيم الشبكة لعزل خوادم LDAP
7. فرض المصادقة القوية لحسابات خدمة LDAP
قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة بناء جملة مرشح LDAP في معاملات HTTP: أنماط regex تحتوي على *, (, ), &, |
2. التنبيه على استعلامات LDAP ذات التعقيد أو الطول غير المتوقع
3. تتبع محاولات ربط LDAP الفاشلة متبوعة بمصادقة ناجحة
4. مراقبة أنماط تعداد الدليل (البحث عن البدل، الاستعلامات العودية)
5. تسجيل جميع عمليات LDAP مع عنوان IP المصدر وسياق المستخدم
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policies (LDAP injection bypasses authentication controls)
ECC 2024 A.5.2.1 - User Registration and Access Rights Management (unauthorized directory operations)
ECC 2024 A.5.3.1 - Management of Privileged Access Rights (LDAP service account compromise)
ECC 2024 A.6.1.1 - Information Security Policies and Procedures (secure coding for authentication)
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 - Management of Technical Vulnerabilities (patch management requirement)
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Asset Management (inventory PAC4J deployments)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control (authentication system integrity)
SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management (LDAP directory protection)
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - Detection and Analysis (monitor LDAP injection attempts)
SAMA CSF RS.MI-2 - Incident Mitigation (contain compromised authentication systems)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.15 - Access Control (authentication mechanism security)
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.16 - Identity Management (directory service integrity)
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.18 - Management of Privileged Access Rights (LDAP account protection)
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - Cryptography (secure LDAP communication)
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.3.1 - Configuration Management (secure PAC4J configuration)
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6.1 - Management of Technical Vulnerabilities (vulnerability patching)
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.4 - Configure system components securely (PAC4J hardening)
PCI DSS 6.2 - Ensure security patches are installed (timely patching)
PCI DSS 7.1 - Limit access to system components (LDAP access controls)
PCI DSS 8.1 - Assign unique ID to each person (authentication integrity)
PCI DSS 10.2 - Implement automated audit trails (LDAP query logging)
📦 Affected Products / CPE 3 entries
pac4j:pac4j
pac4j:pac4j
pac4j:pac4j