Description
The rad_decode function in FreeRADIUS before 1.1.8 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (radiusd crash) via zero-length Tunnel-Password attributes, as demonstrated by a certain module in VulnDisco Pack Professional 7.6 through 8.11. NOTE: this is a regression error related to CVE-2003-0967.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | freeradius | 2.0.0-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | freeradius | 2.0.0-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | freeradius | 2.0.0-1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | freeradius +3 | 1.1.3-1.5.el5_4 | RHSA-2009:1451 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- FreeRadius < 1.1.8 - Zero-Length Tunnel-Password Denial of Service EDB-9642 · dos · Sep 11, 2009 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2009:1451 Red Hat Security Advisory: freeradius security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- 36263 vdb-entry
- SUSE-SR:2009:018 vendor-advisory
- http://github.com/alandekok/freeradius-server/commit/860cad9e02ba344edb0038419e415fe05a9a01f4
- [freeradius-users] 20090909 Version 1.1.8 has been released mailing-list
- 36509 third-party-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9919 vdb-entry signature
- http://intevydis.com/vd-list.shtml
- ADV-2009-3184 vdb-entry
- SUSE-SR:2009:016 vendor-advisory
- APPLE-SA-2009-11-09-1 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20090909 CVE Request -- FreeRADIUS 1.1.8 mailing-list
- RHSA-2009:1451 vendor-advisory
- http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3937