Description
MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) through 1.13.1 incorrectly expects that a krb5_read_message data field is represented as a string ending with a '\0' character, which allows remote attackers to (1) cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via a zero-byte version string or (2) cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) by omitting the '\0' character, related to appl/user_user/server.c and lib/krb5/krb/recvauth.c.
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 | krb5 | 1.12.1+dfsg-18 | — |
| Debian 13 | krb5 | 1.12.1+dfsg-18 | — |
| Debian 12 | krb5 | 1.12.1+dfsg-18 | — |
| Debian 7 | krb5 | 1.10.1+dfsg-5+deb7u9 | DLA-1265-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | krb5 | 1.12+dfsg-2ubuntu5.2 | USN-2810-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | krb5 +6 | 1.13.2-10.el7 | RHSA-2015:2154 |
| RHEL 6 | krb5 +6 | 1.10.3-37.el6_6 | RHSA-2015:0794 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 | krb5 | 1.12.1-16.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1276-1 |
| SLES 11 SP4 | krb5 +1 | 1.6.3-133.49.68.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES 11 SP4 | krb5-doc | 1.6.3-133.49.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES 11 SP3 | krb5 +1 | 1.6.3-133.49.68.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES 11 SP3 | krb5-doc | 1.6.3-133.49.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
Show 3 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 | krb5 | 1.12.1-16.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1276-1 |
| SLES for SAP 11 SP4 | krb5 +1 | 1.6.3-133.49.68.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES for SAP 11 SP4 | krb5-doc | 1.6.3-133.49.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES for SAP 11 SP3 | krb5 +1 | 1.6.3-133.49.68.1 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
| SLES for SAP 11 SP3 | krb5-doc | 1.6.3-133.49.68.2 | SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | krb5 | 1.15-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10004-1 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | krb5-libs +5 | 1.13.2-10.el7 | ELSA-2015-2154 |
Advisories 8
- RHSA-2015:2154 Red Hat Security Advisory: krb5 security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- RHSA-2015:0794 Red Hat Security Advisory: krb5 security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Aug 5, 2026
- USN-2810-1 krb5 vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- DLA-1265-1 krb5 - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10004-1 krb5-1.15-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2015:1276-1 Security update for krb5 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2015:1282-1 Security update for krb5 SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2015-2154 Moderate: krb5 security, bug fix, and enhancement update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 23, 2015
References
- RHSA-2015:0794 vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20180131 [SECURITY] [DLA 1265-1] krb5 security update mailing-list
- openSUSE-SU-2015:0542 vendor-advisory
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/linuxbulletinoct2015-2719645.html
- https://github.com/krb5/krb5/commit/102bb6ebf20f9174130c85c3b052ae104e5073ec
- MDVSA-2015:069 vendor-advisory
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinjan2015-2370101.html
- 74042 vdb-entry
- http://krbdev.mit.edu/rt/Ticket/Display.html?id=8050
- USN-2810-1 vendor-advisory