Heap buffer overflow and possible Remote Code Execution when digesting DNSKEY
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-81642 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | NLnet Labs |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-09-16 09:17:06 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-09-22 18:59:21 UTC |
| Description | In NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including 1.26.0, a vulnerability was found in the DNSSEC validator that enables denial of service and possible remote code execution as a result of digesting DNSKEYs. A DNSKEY with an owner compression pointer to its own RDATA can overflow the digest buffer. Remote code execution is possible through attacker controlled data. An adversary can exploit the vulnerability by controlling a malicious zone and querying a vulnerable Unbound. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 9.1 CRITICAL from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:Red
EPSS: 0.006010000 probability, percentile 0.474870000 (date 2026-09-23)
Problem Types: CWE-122 | CWE-122 CWE-122: Heap-based Buffer Overflow
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/U... |
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Primary | 9.8 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowAttack Requirements
NonePrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighSub Conf.
HighSub Integrity
HighSub Availability
HighCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:U/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:Red
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
NoneUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
HighAvailability
HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | NLnet Labs | Unbound | affected 1.26.1 semver | Not specified |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-81642.txt | [email protected] | www.nlnetlabs.nl | Mitigation, Patch, Vendor Advisory |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Yuqi Qiu (Nankai University, AOSP Lab) (en)
CNA: Xiang Li (Nankai University, AOSP Lab) (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-08-11T00:00:00.000Z | Issue reported by Yuqi Qiu |
| CNA | 2026-08-12T00:00:00.000Z | NLnet Labs shares patch |
| CNA | 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z | Yuqi Qiu verifies patch |
| CNA | 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z | Fixes released with version 1.26.1 |
Solutions
CNA: This issue is fixed starting with version 1.26.1
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.