ntp-keygen in ntp 4.2.8px before 4.2.8p2-RC2 and 4.3.x before 4.3.12 does not generate MD5 keys with sufficient entropy on big endian machines when the lowest order byte of the temp variable is between 0x20 and 0x7f and not #, which might allow remote attackers to obtain the value of generated MD5 keys via a brute force attack with the 93 possible keys.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.5, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), for affected systems. Impacting 13 products from ntp, from debian, from opensuse and 10 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.
2017-08-09T16:29:00.190
2025-04-20T01:37:25.860
Deferred
CVSSv3.0: 7.5 (HIGH)
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
10.0
2.9
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.2.8 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.2.8 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.2.8 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.0 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.1 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.2 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.3 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.4 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.5 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.6 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.7 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.8 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.9 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.10 | Yes |
| Application | ntp | ntp | 4.3.11 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 7.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 8.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | opensuse | suse_linux_enterprise_server | 11.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | opensuse_project | suse_linux_enterprise_desktop | 11.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | suse | suse_linux_enterprise_server | 11.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 21 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_desktop | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_ibm_z_systems | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_power_big_endian | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_scientific_computing | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_server | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_server_from_rhui_6 | 6.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_workstation | 6.0 | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For ntp's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.