dbcve.org
Kerby Ldap BackendApplication · Apache

CVE-2023-25613

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An LDAP Injection vulnerability exists in the LdapIdentityBackend of Apache Kerby before 2.0.3. 

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 · moderate confidence

An LDAP Injection vulnerability exists in the LdapIdentityBackend component of Apache Kerby versions prior to 2.0.3. This allows attackers to manipulate LDAP queries through unsanitized user input, potentially bypassing authentication, escalating privileges, or exfiltrating sensitive directory data.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Kerby to version 2.0.3 or later. Additionally, implement strict input validation and parameterized LDAP queries to prevent injection attacks.

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
Kerby Ldap BackendApplication
Affected:< 2.0.3

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify Apache Kerby installation
    Search for Apache Kerby JAR files or Maven/Gradle dependencies in your project. Look for files containing 'kerby' in the name, particularly in lib, WEB-INF/lib, or build output directories.
    Affected if Apache Kerby libraries are present in the environment
  2. Determine Apache Kerby version
    Check the version of the kerby-ldap, kerby-backend, or parent kerby-all JAR file. Use 'jar -xvf' to inspect MANIFEST.MF, or check your dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle) for the kerby version.
    Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 2.0.3
  3. Verify LDAP backend is in use
    Examine your Kerby configuration files (such as krb5.conf, login.conf, or custom backend configuration) for the string 'LdapIdentityBackend' or 'ldap' as the selected identity backend.
    Affected if LdapIdentityBackend is configured as the identity store
  4. Check for user input in LDAP queries
    Review your application code that interacts with Kerby's LdapIdentityBackend. Look for places where user-supplied input (login usernames, search filters, or DN components) is passed directly to LDAP query methods without using parameterized queries or input sanitization.
    Affected if User-controlled input flows into LDAP search or bind operations without validation

The environment is affected if Apache Kerby with an LDAP backend version prior to 2.0.3 is in use and user input can reach LDAP query operations without sanitization.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.0.3 or later
Fixed in 2.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Kerby to version 2.0.3 or later. Additionally, implement strict input validation and parameterized LDAP queries to prevent injection attacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Kerby 2.0.3

  1. Obtain Apache Kerby version 2.0.3 or later from the official Apache Kerby distribution repository
  2. Stop the Kerby service if currently running
  3. Backup the current Kerby installation and configuration files
  4. Replace the existing Kerby installation with version 2.0.3
  5. Restore or update configuration files as needed for the new version
  6. Restart the Kerby service

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

Fix this in Kerby Ldap Backend Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,416.

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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-2023-25613 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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