CVE-2026-52863: Memory corruption could lead to crash and denial of service
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.25.0 up to and including 1.25.1, a fix that makes the 'respip' and 'dns64' modules work together, creates a shallow copy of the view name in effect that could lead to memory corruption if the owner of the original view name is jostled out when Unbound is under pressure. Unbound needs to be configured with one of 'respip'/'rpz' modules, together with a module that can attach subqueries (respip CNAME redirection, dns64, subnetcache) and a configured 'access-control-view' while Unbound is under pressure so that joslte logic kicks in and starts dropping slow queries. The subquery is getting a shallow copy of the view name and if the super query which owns the view name is jostled out, memory corruption can occur. Likelihood of a crash is low, since it relies heavily on the underlying memory allocator and the memory layout. Debug memory builds (e.g., ASAN) that catch the free terminate the server.
Other sources
Memory corruption could lead to crash and denial of service
— Microsoft
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.
Fixed in 1.25.2-1 - Upgrade
Upgrade
NLnet Labs Unboundto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 1.25.2 - Compensating control
Configure Unbound with one of the modules 'respip' or 'rpz' together with a module that can attach subqueries ('respip' CNAME redirection, 'dns64', or 'subnetcache'), and ensure there is a configured 'access-control-view' so that when Unbound is under pressure the logic drops slow queries (the 'jostle' logic) and mitigates the issue described.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-52863?
The severity of CVE-2026-52863 is rated as medium with a CVSS score of 5.9.
How do I fix CVE-2026-52863?
To fix CVE-2026-52863, upgrade to a version of NLnet Labs Unbound that is newer than 1.25.1.
What impact does CVE-2026-52863 have on my system?
CVE-2026-52863 can lead to memory corruption, resulting in crashes and potential denial of service on affected systems.
Which software is affected by CVE-2026-52863?
CVE-2026-52863 affects NLnet Labs Unbound versions 1.25.0 up to and including 1.25.1.
What is the cause of CVE-2026-52863?
CVE-2026-52863 is caused by improper handling of the 'respip' and 'dns64' modules which creates a shallow copy of the view name.