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HeimdalApplication

CVE-2006-3084

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-08-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The (1) ftpd and (2) ksu programs in (a) MIT Kerberos 5 (krb5) up to 1.5, and 1.4.x before 1.4.4, and (b) Heimdal 0.7.2 and earlier, do not check return codes for setuid calls, which might allow local users to gain privileges by causing setuid to fail to drop privileges. NOTE: as of 20060808, it is not known whether an exploitable attack scenario exists for these issues.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The ftpd and ksu programs in MIT Kerberos 5 (versions up to 1.5 and 1.4.x before 1.4.4) and Heimdal (0.7.2 and earlier) fail to check return codes from setuid() system calls. When setuid() fails to drop privileges due to the error not being checked, the process may continue executing with elevated privileges, potentially allowing local users to gain unauthorized access.

MitigationUpgrade MIT Kerberos 5 to version 1.4.4 or later, or Heimdal to a version after 0.7.2, to obtain patched binaries that properly check setuid return codes.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
HeimdalApplication
Affected:<= 0.7.2
Kerberos 5Application
Affected:= 1.4= 1.4.1= 1.4.2= 1.4.3= 1.5

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify MIT Kerberos 5 installation and version
    Run 'krb5-config --version' or check package manager for krb5 packages (rpm -q krb5-server, dpkg -l krb5-kdc, etc.)
    Affected if Installed version is 1.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, or 1.5
  2. Identify Heimdal installation and version
    Run 'heimdal --version' or check package manager for heimdal packages (rpm -q heimdal, dpkg -l heimdal-kdc, etc.)
    Affected if Installed version is 0.7.2 or earlier
  3. Locate vulnerable ftpd binary
    Check if the Kerberos-aware ftpd binary exists: 'which kftpd' or 'find /usr -name ftpd -type f' (the vulnerable code is in the Kerberos ftpd, not standard wu-ftpd)
    Affected if Kerberos ftpd binary exists on the system
  4. Locate vulnerable ksu binary
    Check if the ksu binary exists: 'which ksu' (this is the Kerberos substitute utility, not standard su)
    Affected if ksu binary exists on the system

The system is affected if MIT Kerberos 5 versions 1.4 through 1.5 or Heimdal version 0.7.2 or earlier are installed, and the ksu or Kerberos ftpd binaries are in use.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 0.7.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade MIT Kerberos 5 to version 1.4.4 or later, or Heimdal to a version after 0.7.2, to obtain patched binaries that properly check setuid return codes.

Fix this in Heimdal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-3084 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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