CVE-2019-14861

CVE-2019-14861 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Samba with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. 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-276.

Key facts

Description

All Samba versions 4.x.x before 4.9.17, 4.10.x before 4.10.11 and 4.11.x before 4.11.3 have an issue, where the (poorly named) dnsserver RPC pipe provides administrative facilities to modify DNS records and zones. Samba, when acting as an AD DC, stores DNS records in LDAP. In AD, the default permissions on the DNS partition allow creation of new records by authenticated users. This is used for example to allow machines to self-register in DNS. If a DNS record was created that case-insensitively matched the name of the zone, the ldb_qsort() and dns_name_compare() routines could be confused into reading memory prior to the list of DNS entries when responding to DnssrvEnumRecords() or DnssrvEnumRecords2() and so following invalid memory as a pointer.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2019-14861?
All Samba versions 4.x.x before 4.9.17, 4.10.x before 4.10.11 and 4.11.x before 4.11.3 have an issue, where the (poorly named) dnsserver RPC pipe provides administrative facilities to modify DNS records and zones. Samba, when acting as an AD DC, stores DNS records in LDAP. In AD, the default permissions on the DNS partition allow creation of new records by authenticated users. This is used for example to allow machines to self-register in DNS. If a DNS record was created that case-insensitively matched the name of the zone, the ldb_qsort() and dns_name_compare() routines could be confused into reading memory prior to the list of DNS entries when responding to DnssrvEnumRecords() or DnssrvEnumRecords2() and so following invalid memory as a pointer.
How severe is CVE-2019-14861?
CVE-2019-14861 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2019-14861 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2019-14861?
CVE-2019-14861 primarily affects Samba. In total, 10 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2019-14861?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2019-14861 published?
CVE-2019-14861 was published on 2019-12-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (10)

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