Is CVE-2023-3326 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2023-3326 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2023-3326 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2023-3326 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-3326?

CVE-2023-3326 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

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CRITICAL

CVE-2023-3326

CWE-303Published: June 22, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

pam_krb5 authenticates a user by essentially running kinit with the password, getting a ticket-granting ticket (tgt) from the Kerberos KDC (Key Distribution Center) over the network, as a way to verify the password. However, if a keytab is not provisioned on the system, pam_krb5 has no way to validate the response from the KDC, and essentially trusts the tgt provided over the network as being valid. In a non-default FreeBSD installation that leverages pam_krb5 for authentication and does not have a keytab provisioned, an attacker that is able to control both the password and the KDC responses can return a valid tgt, allowing authentication to occur for any user on the system.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2023-3326 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.