CVE-2009-0847

CVE-2009-0847 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Mit Kerberos with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3. 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-189.

Key facts

• Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 4.3)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (85th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-189
• Affected product: Mit Kerberos
• Published: 2009-04-09
• Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

The asn1buf_imbed function in the ASN.1 decoder in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.6.3, when PK-INIT is used, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted length value that triggers an erroneous malloc call, related to incorrect calculations with pointer arithmetic.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-0847?

The asn1buf_imbed function in the ASN.1 decoder in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.6.3, when PK-INIT is used, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via a crafted length value that triggers an erroneous malloc call, related to incorrect calculations with pointer arithmetic.

How severe is CVE-2009-0847?

CVE-2009-0847 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 4.3, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2009-0847 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (85th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-0847?

CVE-2009-0847 affects Mit Kerberos. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-0847?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2009-0847 published?

CVE-2009-0847 was published on 2009-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

• http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2009/May/msg00002.html
• http://marc.info/?l=bugtraq&m=124896429301168&w=2
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34594
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34617
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34622
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34628
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34637
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34640
• http://secunia.com/advisories/34734
• http://secunia.com/advisories/35074
• http://security.gentoo.org/glsa/glsa-200904-09.xml
• http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/document.do?assetkey=1-26-256728-1
• http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3549
• http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2009-142.htm
• http://support.novell.com/docs/Readmes/InfoDocument/patchbuilder/readme_5047180.html
• http://support.novell.com/docs/Readmes/InfoDocument/patchbuilder/readme_5047181.html
• http://web.mit.edu/kerberos/advisories/MITKRB5-SA-2009-001.txt
• http://wiki.rpath.com/Advisories:rPSA-2009-0058
• http://wiki.rpath.com/wiki/Advisories:rPSA-2009-0058
• http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21396120
• http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/662091
• http://www.mandriva.com/security/advisories?name=MDVSA-2009:098
• http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/502526/100/0/threaded
• http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/502546/100/0/threaded
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/34408
• http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1021993
• http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-755-1
• http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-133A.html
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/0960
• http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/0976

Affected products (1)

• cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos:5-1.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Mit Kerberos

• CVE-2009-4212 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple integer underflows in the (1) AES and (2) RC4 decryption functionality in the crypto library in MIT Kerberos 5…
• CVE-2004-0523 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple buffer overflows in krb5_aname_to_localname for MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) 1.3.3 and earlier allow remote attackers…
• CVE-2001-0554 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in BSD-based telnetd telnet daemon on various operating systems allows remote attackers to execute…
• CVE-2000-0389 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in krb_rd_req function in Kerberos 4 and 5 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.
• CVE-2000-0390 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in krb425_conv_principal function in Kerberos 5 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.
• CVE-2000-0391 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in krshd in Kerberos 5 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.

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