pam_krb5 authenticates a user by essentially running kinit with the password, getting a ticket-granting ticket (tgt) from the Kerberos KDC (Key Distribution Center) over the network, as a way to verify the password. However, if a keytab is not provisioned on the system, pam_krb5 has no way to validate the response from the KDC, and essentially trusts the tgt provided over the network as being valid. In a non-default FreeBSD installation that leverages pam_krb5 for authentication and does not have a keytab provisioned, an attacker that is able to control both the password and the KDC responses can return a valid tgt, allowing authentication to occur for any user on the system.
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 9.8
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | no-fix-debian-deb-package | May 15, 2025 | Jun 22, 2023 | |
| Freebsd | freebsd-upgrade-base-13_2-release-p2freebsd-upgrade-base-13_1-release-p9freebsd-upgrade-base-12_4-release-p4freebsd-upgrade-base-13_2-release-p1freebsd-upgrade-base-13_1-release-p8freebsd-upgrade-base-12_4-release-p3 | Aug 31, 2023 | Aug 31, 2023 | |
| Ubuntu | no-fix-ubuntu-package | Jun 26, 2025 | Jun 22, 2023 |
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