MEDIUM CVSS 4.7
Published: 2018-03-06

CVE-2018-5729

mit kerberos_5 Security Advisory (CVE-2018-5729)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2018-5729 impacting mit kerberos_5. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 4.7 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
MIT krb5 1.6 or later allows an authenticated kadmin with permission to add principals to an LDAP Kerberos database to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) or bypass a DN container check by supplying tagged data that is internal to the database module.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
High (PR:H)
Administrative credentials required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
Low (C:L)
Partial information leakage
Integrity
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
Low (A:L)
Partial service performance degradation

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product mit / kerberos_5
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-476

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2018-5729 impacting mit kerberos_5.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2018-5729.yaml
id: cve-2018-5729

info:
  name: mit kerberos_5 - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2018-5729 affecting mit kerberos_5.
    Evaluation: MIT krb5 1.6 or later allows an authenticated kadmin with permission to add principals to an LDAP Kerberos database to cause a denial of service (NULL...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2018-5729
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
    cvss-score: 4.7
    cve-id: CVE-2018-5729
    cwe-id: CWE-476
  tags: cve,cve-2018-5729,mit,kerberos_5,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "kerberos_5"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2018-5729.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2018-5729
# Target: mit kerberos_5 | CVSS: 4.7 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2018-5729 (mit kerberos_5)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against mit kerberos_5 scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2018-5729.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2018-5729
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install kerberos_5 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade kerberos_5 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update kerberos_5

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i kerberos_5 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i kerberos_5

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2018-5729 in mit kerberos_5?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mit kerberos_5 packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2018-5729?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2018-5729?

CVE-2018-5729 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 4.7 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
4.7
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2018-5729
Weakness CWE-476
Vendor mit
Product kerberos_5
Published 2018-03-06
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L