CVE-2006-5170

CVE-2006-5170 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-755.

Key facts

Description

pam_ldap in nss_ldap on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Fedora Core 3 and earlier, and possibly other distributions does not return an error condition when an LDAP directory server responds with a PasswordPolicyResponse control response, which causes the pam_authenticate function to return a success code even if authentication has failed, as originally reported for xscreensaver.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2006-5170?
pam_ldap in nss_ldap on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Fedora Core 3 and earlier, and possibly other distributions does not return an error condition when an LDAP directory server responds with a PasswordPolicyResponse control response, which causes the pam_authenticate function to return a success code even if authentication has failed, as originally reported for xscreensaver.
How severe is CVE-2006-5170?
CVE-2006-5170 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5, rated high severity.
Is CVE-2006-5170 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (89th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2006-5170?
CVE-2006-5170 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2006-5170?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2006-5170 published?
CVE-2006-5170 was published on 2006-10-10 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (10)

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