Certain weaknesses in the implementation of version 4 of the Kerberos protocol (krb4) in the krb5 distribution, when triple-DES keys are use
Certain weaknesses in the implementation of version 4 of the Kerberos protocol (krb4) in the krb5 distribution, when triple-DES keys are used to key krb4 services, allow an attacker to create krb4 tickets for unauthorized principals using a cut-and-paste attack and "ticket splicing."
- Published
- Mar 24, 2003
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 4.3% · 91th percentile
- CWE
- —
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Report tools
Action score
31
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 4.3%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| mit | kerberos | cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- mit kerberos4
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | krb5 | before 1.2.7-3 | 1.2.7-3 |
| Debian:3.0 | krb4 | before 1.1-8-2.3 | 1.1-8-2.3 |
| Debian:3.0 | krb5 | before 1.2.4-5woody4 | 1.2.4-5woody4 |
Same product
mit: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2001-0554Buffer overflow in BSD-based telnetd telnet daemon on various operating systems allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a 52Plan
- CVE-2004-0523Multiple buffer overflows in krb5_aname_to_localname for MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) 1.3.3 and earlier allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary43Plan
- CVE-2009-4212Multiple integer underflows in the (1) AES and (2) RC4 decryption functionality in the crypto library in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.3 throu42Plan
- CVE-2010-0283The Key Distribution Center (KDC) in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.7 before 1.7.2, and 1.8 alpha, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of32Monitor
- CVE-2018-5709An issue was discovered in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) through 1.16.31Monitor
- CVE-2003-0138Version 4 of the Kerberos protocol (krb4), as used in Heimdal and other packages, allows an attacker to impersonate any principal in a realm31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:krb4 | 1.1-8-2.3 · Debian:3.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:krb5 | 1.2.7-3 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- P · data can be read
- Integrity
- P · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- P · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- P
- Integrity impact
- P
- Availability impact
- P
Weakness class (CWE)
—
CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
- marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=104791775804776&w=2
- web.mit.edu/kerberos/www/advisories/MITKRB5-SA-2003-004-krb4.txt
- www.debian.org/security/2003/dsa-266
- www.debian.org/security/2003/dsa-273
- www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/442569
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-051.html
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-052.html
- www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2003-091.html
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/316960/30/25250/threaded
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/317130/30/25250/threaded
- oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A250
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.