dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Apr 2022.
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2014-6324

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2014-11-18
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Remotely reachable Zero-click Patch available

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 Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 allows remote authenticated domain users to obtain domain administrator privileges via a forged signature in a ticket, as exploited in the wild in November 2014, aka "Kerberos Checksum Vulnerability."

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

Vulnerability in the Kerberos KDC allows remote authenticated domain users to forge signatures in tickets and obtain domain administrator privileges. The KDC fails to properly validate checksums in the Privilege Attribute Certificate (PAC), enabling privilege escalation from any authenticated user to domain admin. Actively exploited in the wild in 2014.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS14-068 to all affected Windows domain controllers immediately. Prioritize patching given active exploitation. After patching, verify Kerberos authentication and domain services function normally.

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
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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. Verify if the system is a domain controller
    Run `Get-ADDomainController` in PowerShell (if Active Directory module available) or check Registry key `HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters` for " DSA Name" value, or run `nltest /dsgetdc` to identify domain controllers
    Affected if The system is NOT a domain controller - the KDC service only runs on domain controllers and client systems with KDC role installed, so standalone workstations are not affected by this vulnerability
  2. Confirm Windows version is in the affected list
    Run `winver` or check System Properties, or run `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"`
    Affected if The version is NOT one of: Windows 7 (all), Windows 8 (all), Windows 8.1 (all), Windows Server 2003 (all), Windows Server 2008 (all/ R2), Windows Server 2012 (all/ R2)
  3. Check if MS14-068 patch KB3011780 is installed
    Run `wmic qfe get hotfixid,installedon | findstr "KB3011780"` or `Get-HotFix -Id KB3011780` in PowerShell, or view installed updates in Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
    Affected if The patch KB3011780 is NOT listed as installed - the system remains vulnerable to CVE-2014-6324
  4. Verify KDC service status on domain controllers
    Run `Get-Service Kdc` or check Services.msc for "Kerberos Key Distribution Center" service; confirm it is running on domain controllers
    Affected if The KDC service is running on an unpatched domain controller - exploitation allows forged TGT tickets to escalate to domain admin privileges

The environment is affected if any domain controller or KDC-capable system runs an affected Windows version (7, 8, 8.1, Server 2003/2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2) AND lacks the KB3011780 patch; the vulnerability only applies to systems running the KDC role, typically domain controllers.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS14-068 to all affected Windows domain controllers immediately. Prioritize patching given active exploitation. After patching, verify Kerberos authentication and domain services function normally.

Recommended fix High confidence

For end-of-life systems (Vista, Server 2003, Windows 8): Upgrade to Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows Server 2012 R2/2016 as appropriate for your environment

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-068 patch to the Domain Controller running Windows Server 2008 SP2/R2 SP1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2
  2. For Windows 7 SP1 systems: Install MS14-068 patch from Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center
  3. For Windows 8.1 systems: Install MS14-068 patch from Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center
  4. For Windows 8 systems: Upgrade to Windows 8.1 first, then apply MS14-068 patch
  5. For Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP2: These versions are end-of-life with no patch available; migrate to a supported Windows Server version
  6. After patching, verify the Domain Controller is running a patched version of kerberos.dll (should reflect November 2014 security update)
  7. Ensure Windows Update is configured to automatically deliver future security updates
Caveat This is a critical security patch; applying it may require scheduling a maintenance window but should not introduce breaking changes to applications

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get it fixed fast

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

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-6324 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2014-6324 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data