CVE-2022-3116: The Heimdal Software Kerberos 5 implementation is vulnerable to a null pointer dereferance

Q: How do I fix CVE-2022-3116?

heimdal: upgrade to newer than 7.7.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2022-3116 being exploited?

CVE-2022-3116 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2022-3116 affect?

CVE-2022-3116 affects heimdal. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). The Heimdal Software Kerberos 5 implementation is vulnerable to a null pointer dereferance. An attacker with network access to an application that depends on the vulnerable code path can cause the application to crash.

Q: How urgent is CVE-2022-3116?

Priority 46/100. High severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This month

HIGH 7.5REMOTEUPGRADE

CVE-2022-3116 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.5) affecting heimdal. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

The Heimdal Software Kerberos 5 implementation is vulnerable to a null pointer dereferance. An attacker with network access to an application that depends on the vulnerable code path can cause the application to crash.

Why this priority

High severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.5 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.9% (top 41%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-476
Published	2023-03-27
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: heimdal project

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-03-27 22:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 04:58 UTCUpdated Record last modified

heimdal project heimdal UPGRADE

Affected: <= 7.7.0

Fixed in: newer than 7.7.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy heimdal || rpm -q heimdal || heimdal --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 7.7.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade heimdal

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade heimdal

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2022-3116?

heimdal: upgrade to newer than 7.7.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2022-3116 being exploited?

CVE-2022-3116 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2022-3116 affect?

CVE-2022-3116 affects heimdal. Severity is high (CVSS 7.5). The Heimdal Software Kerberos 5 implementation is vulnerable to a null pointer dereferance. An attacker with network access to an application that depends on the vulnerable code path can cause the application to crash.

How urgent is CVE-2022-3116?

Priority 46/100. High severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Related CVEs

CVE-2022-42898 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE PAC parsing in MIT Kerberos 5 (aka krb5) before 1.19.4 and 1.20.x before 1.20.1 has integer overflows that may
CVE-2022-45142 HIGH 7.5 DOWNGRADE The fix for CVE-2022-3437 included changing memcmp to be constant time and a workaround for a compiler bug by
CVE-2022-44640 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE Heimdal before 7.7.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because of an invalid free in the ASN.1
CVE-2022-41916 MEDIUM 5.9 UPGRADE MITIGATE Heimdal is an implementation of ASN.1/DER, PKIX, and Kerberos
CVE-2021-44758 HIGH 7.5 UPGRADE Heimdal before 7.7.1 allows attackers to cause a NULL pointer dereference in a SPNEGO acceptor via a preferred

References

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