Possible domain hijacking via promiscuous records in the authority section
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Adjacent network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- Present
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 fixed, 4 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.24.1 is vulnerable to possible domain hijack attacks. Promiscuous NS RRSets that complement positive DNS replies in the authority section can be used to trick resolvers to update their delegation information for the zone. Usually these RRSets are used to update the resolver's knowledge of the zone's name servers. A malicious actor can exploit the possible poisonous effect by injecting NS RRSets (and possibly their respective address records) in a reply. This could be done for example by trying to spoof a packet or fragmentation attacks. Unbound would then proceed to update the NS RRSet data it already has since the new data has enough trust for it, i.e., in-zone data for the delegation point. Unbound 1.24.1 includes a fix that scrubs unsolicited NS RRSets (and their respective address records) from replies mitigating the possible poison effect. Unbound 1.24.2 includes an additional fix that scrubs unsolicited NS RRSets (and their respective address records) from YXDOMAIN and non-referral nodata replies, further mitigating the possible poison effect.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLnet Labs | Unbound | up to 1.24.1 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Unbound VendorNLnet Labs Affected up to 1.24.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2026:18931 Released 2026-05-19 · Red Hat rating Moderateunbound security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) python3-unbound-1.24.2-2.el9, unbound-1.24.2-2.el9, unbound-dracut-1.24.2-2.el9 +1
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) unbound-devel-1.24.2-2.el9
- RHSA-2026:18556 Released 2026-05-19 · Red Hat rating Moderateunbound security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) python3-unbound-1.24.2-7.el10, unbound-1.24.2-7.el10, unbound-anchor-1.24.2-7.el10 +3
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) unbound-devel-1.24.2-7.el10
- RHSA-2026:7645 Released 2026-04-11 · Red Hat rating ModerateRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images python3-unbound-1.24.2-11.1.hum1@aarch64, python3-unbound-1.24.2-11.1.hum1@x86_64, unbound-1.24.2-11.1.hum1@aarch64 +14
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 yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18556 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18931 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 10) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18556 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:18931 |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7645 |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-11411
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-6w73-x38p-26g5
References
More NLnet Labs vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-25690 Possible arbitrary code execution during DNSSEC validation CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-56302 Heap buffer overflow and possible Remote Code Execution when digesting DNSKEY CVSS 4.0CRITICAL 9.1
- TI-2026-31146 Crash during DNSSEC validation of malicious content CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-31135 Heap overflow with multiple NSID, COOKIE, PADDING EDNS options CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-36436 Routinator crashes on specifically crafted RRDP XML files CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-36433 Routinator exits when accepting an incoming HTTP or RTR connection fails CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
Sources
- CVE-2025-11411 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-11411 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-6w73-x38p-26g5 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-11411 · 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