How severe is CVE-2014-9421?

CVE-2014-9421 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.0, rated critical severity.

Is CVE-2014-9421 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 6% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2014-9421?

CVE-2014-9421 primarily affects Mit Kerberos 5. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2014-9421?

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-2014-9421 published?

CVE-2014-9421 was published on 2015-02-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2014-9421

CVE-2014-9421 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Mit Kerberos 5 with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 2.0 base score 9.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 6% (93rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Mit Kerberos 5
Published: 2015-02-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The auth_gssapi_unwrap_data function in lib/rpc/auth_gssapi_misc.c in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) through 1.11.5, 1.12.x through 1.12.2, and 1.13.x before 1.13.1 does not properly handle partial XDR deserialization, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free and double free, and daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via malformed XDR data, as demonstrated by data sent to kadmind.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2014-9421?: The auth_gssapi_unwrap_data function in lib/rpc/auth_gssapi_misc.c in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) through 1.11.5, 1.12.x through 1.12.2, and 1.13.x before 1.13.1 does not properly handle partial XDR deserialization, which allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free and double free, and daemon crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via malformed XDR data, as demonstrated by data sent to kadmind.
How severe is CVE-2014-9421?: CVE-2014-9421 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 9.0, rated critical severity.
Is CVE-2014-9421 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 6% (93rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2014-9421?: CVE-2014-9421 primarily affects Mit Kerberos 5. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2014-9421?: 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-2014-9421 published?: CVE-2014-9421 was published on 2015-02-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (10)

cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.11.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.12:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.12.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.12.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:1.13:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Mit Kerberos 5

CVE-2011-0285 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The process_chpw_request function in schpw.c in the password-changing functionality in kadmind in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka…
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-2009-0846 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The asn1_decode_generaltime function in lib/krb5/asn.1/asn1_decode.c in the ASN.1 GeneralizedTime decoder in MIT…
CVE-2008-0947 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in the RPC library used by libgssrpc and kadmind in MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) 1.4 through 1.6.3 allows…
CVE-2007-5902 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in the svcauth_gss_get_principal function in lib/rpc/svc_auth_gss.c in MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) allows…
CVE-2007-4743 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The original patch for CVE-2007-3999 in svc_auth_gss.c in the RPCSEC_GSS RPC library in MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) 1.4…

All CVEs affecting Mit Kerberos 5 →