krb5: Buffer Overflow in Kerberos Administration Daemon

Systems Affected

• MIT Kerberos version 4 and version 5 up to and including krb5-1.2.6
• KTH eBones prior to version 1.2.1 and KTH Heimdal prior to version 0.5.1
• Other Kerberos implementations derived from vulnerable MIT or KTH code

Overview

Multiple Kerberos distributions contain a remotely exploitable buffer overflow in the Kerberos administration daemon. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain root privileges on a vulnerable system.

The CERT/CC has received reports that indicate that this vulnerability is being exploited. In addition, MIT advisory MITKRB5-SA-2002-002 notes that an exploit is circulating.

We strongly encourage sites that use vulnerable Kerberos distributions to verify the integrity of their systems and apply patches or upgrade as appropriate.