How severe is CVE-2009-4212?

CVE-2009-4212 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2009-4212 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-4212?

CVE-2009-4212 primarily affects Mit Kerberos. In total, 21 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-4212?

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-2009-4212 published?

CVE-2009-4212 was published on 2010-01-13 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2009-4212

CVE-2009-4212 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Mit Kerberos 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-189.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 10.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 7% (94th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-189
Affected product: Mit Kerberos
Published: 2010-01-13
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Multiple integer underflows in the (1) AES and (2) RC4 decryption functionality in the crypto library in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.3 through 1.6.3, and 1.7 before 1.7.1, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code by providing ciphertext with a length that is too short to be valid.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-4212?: Multiple integer underflows in the (1) AES and (2) RC4 decryption functionality in the crypto library in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.3 through 1.6.3, and 1.7 before 1.7.1, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code by providing ciphertext with a length that is too short to be valid.
How severe is CVE-2009-4212?: CVE-2009-4212 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 10.0, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2009-4212 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 7% (94th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2009-4212?: CVE-2009-4212 primarily affects Mit Kerberos. In total, 21 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2009-4212?: 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-2009-4212 published?: CVE-2009-4212 was published on 2010-01-13 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (21)

cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos:5-1.6.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.3.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.4.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.4.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.4.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.4.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.5.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.5.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.6.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.6.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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