A buffer boundary check assertion in rdataset.c can fail incorrectly during zone transfer
Priority LOW 26CWE-617Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- No fix listed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-617.
Summary
An attacker who is permitted to send zone data to a server via zone transfer can exploit this to intentionally trigger the assertion failure with a specially constructed zone, denying service to clients.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.01884 79th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISC | BIND9 | 9.16.0 -> 9.16.3 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- BIND9 VendorISC Affected 9.16.0 -> 9.16.3 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 9.16.0 – 9.16.3 | Vulnerable | ISC |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.1 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 15.2 | Vulnerable | openSUSE |
| cpe:2.3:a:netapp:steelstore_cloud_integrated_storage:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | not specified by NVD | Vulnerable | NetApp |
| cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* | 20.04 | Vulnerable | Canonical |
- cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 9.16.0 – 9.16.3 Vulnerable ·ISC
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.1 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 15.2 Vulnerable ·openSUSE
- cpe:2.3:a:netapp:steelstore_cloud_integrated_storage:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions not specified by NVD Vulnerable ·NetApp
- cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:* Versions 20.04 Vulnerable ·Canonical
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Advisory ·
ISC BIND9 — USN-4399-1
2 records Highest priority Priority LOW 2 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2020-06912 A buffer boundary check assertion in rdataset.c can fail incorrectly during zone transferPriority LOW 27
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2020-8618
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-2c3j-p34f-v2cr
References
More ISC Bind vulnerabilities
- TI-2015-04610 Assertion failure in ISC BIND named via TKEY queries KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2023-27571 Certain DNSSEC aspects of the DNS protocol (in RFC 4033, 4034, 4035, 6840, and related… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-07476 A second vulnerability in BIND's GSSAPI security policy negotiation can be targeted by a buffer overflow attack CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2023-27773 The Closest Encloser Proof aspect of the DNS protocol (in RFC 5155 when RFC 9276 guidance… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2020-06910 A logic error in code which checks TSIG validity can be used to trigger an assertion failure in tsig.c CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2016-02320 buffer.c in named in ISC BIND 9 before 9.9.9-P3, 9.10.x before 9.10.4-P3, and 9.11.x… CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2020-8618 · CVE Program
- CVE-2020-8618 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-2c3j-p34f-v2cr · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2020-8618 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences