CVE-2023-50387: Unbound: disclosure of CVE-2023-50387 and CVE-2023-50868 DNSSEC validation vulnerabilities

Published Feb 12, 2024
·
Updated

Certain DNSSEC aspects of the DNS protocol (in RFC 4033, 4034, 4035, 6840, and related RFCs) allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via one or more DNSSEC responses, aka the "KeyTrap" issue. One of the concerns is that, when there is a zone with many DNSKEY and RRSIG records, the protocol specification implies that an algorithm must evaluate all combinations of DNSKEY and RRSIG records.

Other sources

ISC BIND is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by an error when processing responses coming from specially crafted DNSSEC-signed zones. By flooding the target server with queries, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause CPU exhaustion on a DNSSEC-validating resolver.

IBM

MITRE: CVE-2023-50387 DNSSEC verification complexity can be exploited to exhaust CPU resources and stall DNS resolvers

Microsoft

The processing of responses coming from specially crafted DNSSEC-signed zones can cause CPU exhaustion on a DNSSEC-validating resolver.

Red Hat

Affected Software

47 affected componentsFixes available
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2019
Microsoft Windows Server 2019
Microsoft Windows Server 2022
Microsoft Windows Server 2022
redhat/bind<9.16.48
9.16.48
redhat/bind<9.18.24
9.18.24
redhat/bind<9.19.21
9.19.21
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
debian/bind9
1:9.16.50-1~deb11u21:9.16.50-1~deb11u31:9.18.33-1~deb12u21:9.20.8-6
debian/dnsjava<=2.1.8-2
3.6.2-2
debian/dnsmasq<=2.85-1
2.85-1+deb11u12.90-4~deb12u12.91-1
debian/knot-resolver<=5.3.1-1+deb11u1
5.6.0-1+deb12u15.7.5-1
debian/pdns-recursor<=4.4.2-3
4.8.8-1+deb12u15.2.2-1
debian/systemd<=247.3-7+deb11u5
247.3-7+deb11u6252.36-1~deb12u1257.5-2
debian/unbound
1.13.1-1+deb11u21.13.1-1+deb11u41.17.1-2+deb12u21.22.0-1
redhat Enterprise Linux=6.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=7.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=8.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=9.0
Microsoft Windows Server 2008=r2-sp1
Microsoft Windows Server 2012
Microsoft Windows Server 2012=r2
Microsoft Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Windows Server 2019
Microsoft Windows Server 2022
Microsoft Windows Server 2022 23h2
Fedoraproject Fedora=39
thekelleys dnsmasq<2.90
nic Knot Resolver<5.71
PowerDNS recursor>=4.8.0<4.8.6
PowerDNS recursor>=4.9.0<4.9.3
PowerDNS recursor>=5.0.0<5.0.2
ISC BIND>=9.0.0<=9.16.46
ISC BIND>=9.18.0<=9.18.22
ISC BIND>=9.19.0<=9.19.20
nlnetlabs Unbound<1.19.1
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
F5 BIG-IP>=17.1.0<=17.1.1
17.1.2
F5 BIG-IP>=16.1.0<=16.1.6
16.1.6.1
F5 BIG-IP>=15.1.0<=15.1.10
15.1.10.8

Event History

Feb 13, 2024
CVE Published
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
News Published
via The Register·11:27 PM
News Published
via The Register·11:31 PM
Feb 14, 2024
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Feb 17, 2024
News Published
via BleepingComputer·04:08 PM
Feb 19, 2024
News Published
via BleepingComputer·01:34 PM
Mar 26, 2024
News Published
via The Register·08:24 AM
Mar 29, 2024
Advisory Published
via F5·04:55 PM
Data Sourced
via F5·04:55 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jun 28, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·05:54 PM
Description
Sep 16, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·06:04 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Feb 4, 2025
Data Sourced
via IBM·12:00 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Peer vulnerabilities

Found alongside the following vulnerabilities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2023-50387?

CVE-2023-50387 has been assessed with a severity level that allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service.

2

What systems are affected by CVE-2023-50387?

CVE-2023-50387 affects multiple versions of Microsoft Windows Server, various DNS software including BIND and PowerDNS, and several Linux distributions.

3

How do I fix CVE-2023-50387?

To fix CVE-2023-50387, apply the specific patches and updates provided by your software vendor.

4

What is the nature of the vulnerability in CVE-2023-50387?

The vulnerability in CVE-2023-50387 originates from certain DNSSEC aspects of the DNS protocol that can be exploited for denial of service.

5

Are there any workarounds for CVE-2023-50387?

While updating is highly recommended, temporary network configurations to limit DNS response processing might serve as a workaround for CVE-2023-50387.

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