CVE-2023-36054Network attack vector

Authenticated kadmind crash via inconsistent XDR counts

Published Aug 7, 2023 · Updated Oct 11, 2024

Uninitialized-pointer access in MIT Kerberos 5 before 1.20.2 and 1.21 before 1.21.1 allows remote authenticated users to crash kadmind. The _xdr_kadm5_principal_ent_rec decoder fails to keep n_key_data consistent with the decoded key_data array count, so later xdr_array cleanup iterates over uninitialized pointers. Valid administrative credentials and a crafted kadm5 RPC request are required; successful exploitation terminates kadmind and interrupts administration.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability2.81%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Uninitialized-pointer access in MIT Kerberos 5 before 1.20.2 and 1.21 before 1.21.1 allows remote authenticated users to crash kadmind. The _xdr_kadm5_principal_ent_rec decoder fails to keep n_key_data consistent with the decoded key_data array count, so later xdr_array cleanup iterates over uninitialized pointers. Valid administrative credentials and a crafted kadm5 RPC request are required; successful exploitation terminates kadmind and interrupts administration.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-36054
Published
Aug 7, 2023
Updated
Oct 11, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-824, T1499
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 7, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 11, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-824Access of Uninitialized Pointer
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo