VulnerabilityPublished 26 Feb 2024Updated 6 Dec 2024

CVE-2024-26458: krb5

Affects krb5Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

5.3Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.8% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 56% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 26 Feb 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
GitHublumingyindetect/krb5`pkg:github/lumingyindetect/krb5`Other threats	Affected =1.21.2	Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

Monitor official Kerberos project repositories and security advisories for patches addressing CVE-2024-26458 and apply updates promptly once available.
Implement network-level controls such as firewall rules to restrict access to Kerberos services and RPC port mapping interfaces only to trusted hosts and networks.
Employ intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to monitor for anomalous traffic patterns targeting the pmap_rmt.c RPC component.
Conduct regular memory and resource usage monitoring on Kerberos servers to detect unusual leaks or resource exhaustion symptoms.
Use network segmentation to isolate authentication servers from less trusted network segments, reducing exposure.
Review and harden RPC service configurations to minimize unnecessary exposure of port mapping services.
Educate security teams about this vulnerability to enhance incident response readiness. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on limiting attack surface and early detection while awaiting official patches.

Description

Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.21.2 contains a memory leak in /krb5/src/lib/rpc/pmap_rmt.c.

Impact

The primary impact of CVE-2024-26458 is a potential confidentiality breach due to a memory leak in the Kerberos 5 RPC port mapping component. Attackers can remotely trigger the leak without authentication, potentially gaining access to sensitive memory contents that could include authentication tokens or other sensitive data. However, the vulnerability does not compromise system integrity or availability, limiting the scope of damage. The leak could facilitate reconnaissance or information gathering that might be leveraged in multi-stage attacks. Since Kerberos is a critical authentication mechanism in many enterprise and government environments, exploitation could undermine trust in authentication processes if combined with other vulnerabilities. The absence of known exploits and the medium CVSS score suggest a moderate risk level at present. Organizations relying on Kerberos 5 should consider this vulnerability as a potential vector for information disclosure and plan accordingly.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Feb 2026, 10:03 UTC

Technical details

References

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