What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36222?

CVE-2021-36222 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 10.3%.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2021-36222?

Yes, a patch is available for CVE-2021-36222. Update the affected software to the latest version immediately.

Kerberos 5 CVE-2021-36222

HIGH

NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)

2021-07-22 cve@mitre.org

Denial Of Service Null Pointer Dereference Debian Oracle Active Iq Unified Manager Debian Linux Mysql Server Oncommand Insight Oncommand Workflow Automation Snapcenter Kerberos 5 Netapp Mit

7.5

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-476 OWASP Top 10:2025 A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions ASVS 5.0 V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A remote attacker could crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%.

Patch available 10.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

ec_verify in kdc/kdc_preauth_ec.c in the Key Distribution Center (KDC) in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.18.4 and 1.19.x before 1.19.2 allows remote attackers to cause a NULL pointer dereference. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Check pointers before dereferencing. Use static analysis tools to detect null pointer paths.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which allows attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. ec_verify in kdc/kdc_preauth_ec.c in the Key Distribution Center (KDC) in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.18.4 and 1.19.x before 1.19.2 allows remote attackers to cause a NULL pointer dereference and daemon crash. This occurs because a return value is not properly managed in a certain situation. Affected products include: Mit Kerberos 5, Debian Debian Linux, Netapp Active Iq Unified Manager, Netapp Oncommand Insight, Netapp Oncommand Workflow Automation. Version information: before 1.18.4.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH

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

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

DescriptionNVD

ec_verify in kdc/kdc_preauth_ec.c in the Key Distribution Center (KDC) in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.18.4 and 1.19.x before 1.19.2 allows remote attackers to cause a NULL pointer dereference and daemon crash. This occurs because a return value is not properly managed in a certain situation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

10.3%

Top 5% exploitable

Data Quality

4 sources

Confidence: Medium

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 10.3%

Patch available Yes

Active threat No

Deciding rule

HIGH severity + EPSS > 10%

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Yes

Human Impact· derived

Medium

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: +10

CVSS: +38

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Null Pointer Dereference MEDIUM

A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).

Denial of Service MEDIUM

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:mit:kerberos_5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:vmware_vsphere:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_insight:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_workflow_automation:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:netapp:snapcenter:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

cpe:2.3:a:oracle:mysql_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Same weakness CWE-476 – NULL Pointer Dereference

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References

Advisories & patches

PATCH https://github.com/krb5/krb5/commit/fc98f520caefff2e5ee9a0026fdf5109944b3562 PATCH https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html REF https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html REF https://github.com/krb5/krb5/releases REF https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211022-0003/ REF https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211104-0007/ REF https://web.mit.edu/kerberos/advisories/ REF https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4944

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