CVE-2021-22212

HIGH
7.4
CVSS Score
Published: June 8, 2021 at 12:07 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 03:36 AM UTC
2 products affected across 2 vendorsFedoraNTPSec

Using ntpsec by NTPsec?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect ntpsec - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
HIGH7.4
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.5%

Description

ntpkeygen can generate keys that ntpd fails to parse. NTPsec 1.2.0 allows ntpkeygen to generate keys with '#' characters. ntpd then either pads, shortens the key, or fails to load these keys entirely, depending on the key type and the placement of the '#'. This results in the administrator not being able to use the keys as expected or the keys are shorter than expected and easier to brute-force, possibly resulting in MITM attacks between ntp clients and ntp servers. For short AES128 keys, ntpd generates a warning that it is padding them.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

CVSS

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
HIGH
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-327

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card