A flaw was found in dnsmasq in versions before 2.85.
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · Low · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
A flaw was found in dnsmasq in versions before 2.85. When configured to use a specific server for a given network interface, dnsmasq uses a fixed port while forwarding queries. An attacker on the network, able to find the outgoing port used by dnsmasq, only needs to guess the random transmission ID to forge a reply and get it accepted by dnsmasq. This flaw makes a DNS Cache Poisoning attack much easier. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data integrity.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | dnsmasq | dnsmasq 2.85 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- dnsmasq Vendor— Affected dnsmasq 2.85 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:thekelleys:dnsmasq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.85 | Vulnerable | Thekelleys |
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 32 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 33 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 34 | Vulnerable | Fedoraproject |
| cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment:1.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 1.9.0 | Vulnerable | Oracle |
- cpe:2.3:a:thekelleys:dnsmasq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.85 Vulnerable ·Thekelleys
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 32 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 33 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 34 Vulnerable ·Fedoraproject
- cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment:1.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 1.9.0 Vulnerable ·Oracle
Remediation
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2021:4153 Released 2021-11-09 · Red Hat rating Moderatednsmasq security and bug fix update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) dnsmasq-2.79-19.el8, dnsmasq-utils-2.79-19.el8
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2021:4153 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 10 (Newton)
- Red Hat OpenStack Platform 13 (Queens)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-3448
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-vvf4-c8p4-89v5
References
Sources
- CVE-2021-3448 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-3448 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-vvf4-c8p4-89v5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-3448 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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