OpenSSH portable 4.1 on SUSE Linux, and possibly other platforms and versions, and possibly under limited configurations, allows remote attackers to determine valid usernames via timing discrepancies in which responses take longer for valid usernames than invalid ones, as demonstrated by sshtime. NOTE: as of 20061014, it appears that this issue is dependent on the use of manually-set passwords that causes delays when processing /etc/shadow due to an increased number of rounds.
CVE-2006-5229
This CVE was only ever scored under CVSS v2.0. NVD CVSS v2.0 base 2.6 — v2 rates that LOW (v2 bands: LOW 0.0–3.9 / MEDIUM 4.0–6.9 / HIGH 7.0–10.0; v2 has no CRITICAL band). Vector AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N. CVSS v2 is an older, coarser metric than v3.1/v4.0 (no Scope, no User Interaction, no Attack Requirements), so it is not directly comparable to a v3 or v4 score. NVD has never re-scored this record under v3. EPSS predicts 54.2% exploitation probability in the next 30 days, which is reflected in EG Risk but does not lift the v2 base. Confidence: LOW.
- 1 internet-exposed host is running an affected version right now
- High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 54%
- Public exploit code is available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB (verified), epss top5pct, epss high, public exploit)
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
1 internet-exposed host is running an affected version of CVE-2006-5229 right now.
EchelonGraph is the only CVE feed that fuses live vulnerability intelligence with its own live internet-exposure radar — so you see not just that a CVE is exploited, but how much of the internet is exposed to it right now.
- CVSS v2.0 (legacy)
- 2.6LOWNVD never assigned a CVSS v3 rating to this CVE
- EG Score
- 2.6(low)
- EG Risk
- 42(Track)EG Risk 42/100SSVC: Track
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity26% × 45%Exploitation65% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence. - EPSS PROB
- 54%
- EPSS %ILE
- 99%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
October 10, 2006
Last Modified
April 23, 2026
References (18)
- cve@mitrehttp://secunia.com/advisories/25979
- cve@mitrehttp://www.osvdb.org/32721
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448025/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448108/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448156/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448702/100/0/threaded
- cve@mitrehttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/20418
- cve@mitrehttp://www.sybsecurity.com/hack-proventia-1.pdf
- cve@mitrehttp://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2007/2545
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://secunia.com/advisories/25979
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.osvdb.org/32721
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448025/100/0/threaded
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448108/100/0/threaded
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448156/100/0/threaded
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/448702/100/0/threaded
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 10× in last 7d / 26× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-26 13:30 UTCEG score recompute▲ 2.60
- 2026-07-25 14:11 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-07-23 00:51 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-23 00:31 UTCEG score recompute▼ 4.00
- 2026-07-22 23:55 UTCEG score recompute▲ 4.00
- 2026-07-22 21:35 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:03 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-31 06:24 UTCGHSA enrichment
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Publicly available exploits
(2 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Metasploit module) (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- Exploit-DBEDB-3303✓ verifiedFirst seen Feb 13, 2007
Portable OpenSSH 3.6.1p-PAM/4.1-SuSE - Timing Attack
Open source ↗ - Metasploitauxiliary/scanner/ssh/ssh_enumusers✓ verifiedFirst seen Jan 1, 2006
SSH Username Enumeration
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Frequently asked(4)
What is CVE-2006-5229?
When was CVE-2006-5229 disclosed?
Is CVE-2006-5229 actively exploited?
How do I remediate CVE-2006-5229?
Dependency Blast Radius
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