How severe is CVE-2009-0846?

CVE-2009-0846 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2009-0846 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 9% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-0846?

CVE-2009-0846 primarily affects Mit Kerberos 5. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-0846?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2009-0846 published?

CVE-2009-0846 was published on 2009-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2009-0846

CVE-2009-0846 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Mit Kerberos 5 with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0. 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-824.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 10.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 9% (95th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-824
Affected product: Mit Kerberos 5
Published: 2009-04-09
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The asn1_decode_generaltime function in lib/krb5/asn.1/asn1_decode.c in the ASN.1 GeneralizedTime decoder in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.6.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors involving an invalid DER encoding that triggers a free of an uninitialized pointer.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-0846?: The asn1_decode_generaltime function in lib/krb5/asn.1/asn1_decode.c in the ASN.1 GeneralizedTime decoder in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.6.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via vectors involving an invalid DER encoding that triggers a free of an uninitialized pointer.
How severe is CVE-2009-0846?: CVE-2009-0846 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2009-0846 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 9% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2009-0846?: CVE-2009-0846 primarily affects Mit Kerberos 5. In total, 18 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2009-0846?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2009-0846 published?: CVE-2009-0846 was published on 2009-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (18)

cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:6.06:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:7.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:8.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:4.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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