dbcve.org
Out-of-bounds ReadWeakness · CWE-125

CVE-2026-44066

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
Multiple heap out-of-bounds reads in the Spotlight RPC unmarshalling code in Netatalk 3.1.0 through 4.4.2 allow a remote authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information or cause a minor service disruption.

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

Netatalk versions 3.1.0 through 4.4.2 contain multiple heap out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities in the Spotlight RPC unmarshalling code. A remote authenticated attacker can exploit these flaws to read beyond allocated heap buffers, potentially exposing sensitive memory contents or causing minor service disruption.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched Netatalk version beyond 4.4.2. Limit network exposure of the Spotlight RPC service and enforce strict authentication controls to reduce attack surface.

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

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
None
Availability
Low

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

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 Netatalk installation and version
    Run the command to query the Netatalk version, such as 'netatalk -V' or 'afpd -V', or check the installed package version via your system's package manager (dpkg, rpm, brew, etc.)
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range 3.1.0 through 4.4.2 inclusive
  2. Confirm Spotlight RPC service is enabled
    Inspect the Netatalk configuration file (typically /etc/netatalk/netatalk.conf or ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.netatalk.conf) and look for Spotlight-related settings such as 'spotlight' or 'cnid' indexing services being activated
    Affected if Spotlight indexing or the Spotlight RPC service is explicitly enabled in the configuration
  3. Verify the Spotlight daemon is running
    Check running processes for the Spotlight indexer (commonly 'mDNSResponder' or 'spotlight' related processes on macOS, or the netatalk daemon handling Spotlight) using commands like 'ps aux | grep -i spotlight' or 'systemctl status netatalk'
    Affected if The Spotlight indexing daemon or Netatalk service handling Spotlight is actively running
  4. Assess network exposure of AFP/Spotlight services
    Review firewall rules, netstat output, or service configuration to determine if the Netatalk AFP or Spotlight RPC ports are accessible to remote network locations or untrusted users
    Affected if The AFP or Spotlight services are bound to non-local network interfaces and accessible to remote attackers

A system is affected if it runs Netatalk version 3.1.0 through 4.4.2 with Spotlight indexing features enabled and exposed to network access where a remote authenticated attacker could send malicious RPC requests.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched Netatalk version beyond 4.4.2. Limit network exposure of the Spotlight RPC service and enforce strict authentication controls to reduce attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Fixed release version (check netatalk.io for 4.4.3 or later)

  1. Check current Netatalk version using 'netatalk -V' or 'apt list --installed | grep netatalk'
  2. Consult netatalk.io or the official Netatalk security advisory for the specific fixed release version that addresses CVE-2026-44066
  3. Upgrade to the fixed release by following distribution-specific procedures (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade netatalk' for Debian/Ubuntu, or compile from source using the fixed version)
  4. Restart the Netatalk service after upgrade (e.g., 'systemctl restart netatalk' or appropriate service command)
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful and the version matches the fixed release
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between current version and fixed release

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,440
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,504.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-44066 — 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-2026-44066 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