Is CVE-2026-44061 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44061 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2026-44061?

Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.9, published 21 May 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Netatalk team Netatalk 1.5.0 through 4.4.2.

Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44061?

A patch was published on 2026-05-21: Fixed in version 4.5.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

How is CVE-2026-44061 attacked?

It is attacked over the network, in a software library.

Am I affected by CVE-2026-44061?

Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2026-44061: Netatalk timing side channel in Randnum authentication mechanism

CVE-2026-44061 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.9 · Published 2026-05-21

Netatalk is an open-source implementation of the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) used to allow Unix-like systems to serve as file servers for macOS clients. A security flaw in an older authentication method could allow an attacker to potentially discover user credentials by measuring the time it takes for the server to respond to login attempts. While this specific authentication method is not enabled by default, an exploit could lead to unauthorized access to files and sensitive data stored on the server.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2026-44061 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-44061 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2026-44061?: Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.9, published 21 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Netatalk team Netatalk 1.5.0 through 4.4.2.
Is there a fix for CVE-2026-44061?: A patch was published on 2026-05-21: Fixed in version 4.5.0 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.
How is CVE-2026-44061 attacked?: It is attacked over the network, in a software library.
Am I affected by CVE-2026-44061?: Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

A timing side-channel vulnerability (CWE-208) exists in the Randnum User Authentication Method (UAM) of Netatalk versions 1.5.0 through 4.4.2. The root cause is the use of DES in ECB mode combined with a non-constant-time comparison of authentication data. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by measuring response times to differentiate between correct and incorrect authentication fragments, potentially leading to credential recovery. The attack complexity is high as it requires precise timing measurements and the Randnum UAM must be manually enabled. The issue is resolved in Netatalk version 4.5.0.

Affected products

Netatalk team Netatalk 1.5.0 through 4.4.2

Timeline

2026-05-13: disclosed
2026-05-21: advisory: NVD publication date
2026-05-21: patched: Fixed in version 4.5.0

References

https://netatalk.io/security/CVE-2026-44061

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