CVE-2009-4212: Critical severity kerberos vulnerability
Integer underflow flaws, leading to heap-based corruption, were found in the way MIT Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) used to decrypt ciphertexts encrypted with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and ARCFOUR (RC4) encryption algorithms. A remote KDC client could provide a specially-crafted AES or RC4 encrypted ciphertext(s), which once processed by a central KDC would lead to denial of service (KDC crash or abort) or, potentially, to KDC relying authentication services compromise or arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the KDC centre.
Upstream advisory (not available yet): -------------------------------------- http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/advisories/MITKRB5-SA-2009-004.txt
Upstream patches (not available yet): ------------------------------------- http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/advisories/2009-004-patch1.7.txt http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/advisories/2009-004-patch1.6.3.txt
Other sources
Multiple integer underflows in the (1) AES and (2) RC4 decryption functionality in the crypto library in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.3 through 1.6.3, and 1.7 before 1.7.1, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code by providing ciphertext with a length that is too short to be valid.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2009-4212?
CVE-2009-4212 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to the potential for remote exploitation leading to heap-based memory corruption.
How do I fix CVE-2009-4212?
To fix CVE-2009-4212, upgrade the MIT Kerberos to the latest version that has patched the vulnerability.
What versions of MIT Kerberos are affected by CVE-2009-4212?
CVE-2009-4212 affects multiple versions of MIT Kerberos, specifically versions from 1.3 to 5-1.6.3.
Can CVE-2009-4212 be exploited remotely?
Yes, CVE-2009-4212 can be exploited remotely by a malicious KDC client providing specially crafted ciphertext.
What types of attacks can CVE-2009-4212 lead to?
CVE-2009-4212 can lead to heap corruption attacks, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code.