CVE-2012-1012
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 · uneditedserver/server_stubs.c in the kadmin protocol implementation in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) 1.10 before 1.10.1 does not properly restrict access to (1) SET_STRING and (2) GET_STRINGS operations, which might allow remote authenticated administrators to modify or read string attributes by leveraging the global list privilege.
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 confidenceThe kadmin protocol implementation in MIT Kerberos 5 versions 1.10 before 1.10.1 contains an authorization flaw in server/server_stubs.c. The SET_STRING and GET_STRINGS operations lack proper access control checks, allowing authenticated administrators with global list privileges to modify or read string attributes beyond their intended scope.
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= 1.10= 1.10.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed MIT Kerberos 5 versionRun 'kinit --version' or check via package manager (rpm -q krb5-libs, dpkg -l krb5, etc.)Affected if Version reports 1.10 or 1.10.1 specifically
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Confirm kadmin protocol service is configuredCheck if the kadmind daemon is running or the kadmin service is enabled. Look for /var/kerberos/krb5kdc/kadm5.acl or similar kadmin ACL files.Affected if kadmin protocol interface is present and accessible on the system
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Examine kadmin ACL entries for principal privilegesRead the kadmin ACL file (commonly /var/kerberos/krb5kdc/kadm5.acl) and identify principals granted list or global permissionsAffected if Any authenticated administrator principal has broad list privileges that could exceed intended scope
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Check for active string attribute operationsReview audit logs or monitor for kadmin SET_STRING and GET_STRINGS operations being performed by principals with elevated privilegesAffected if String attributes are being modified or read by administrators beyond their intended authorization boundaries
A system is affected if it runs MIT Kerberos 5 version 1.10 or 1.10.1, has kadmin protocol enabled, and has administrators with global list privileges that could exploit the missing access control checks on SET_STRING and GET_STRINGS operations.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade to MIT Kerberos 5 version 1.10.1 or later. Additionally, review administrative access controls and ensure kadmin principals are scoped to minimal necessary privileges.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2012-1012 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-1012 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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