CoreDNS gRPC/HTTPS/HTTP3 servers lack resource limits, enabling DoS via unbounded connections and oversized messages
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 fixed, 1 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA, GitHub and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-770.
Summary
CoreDNS is a DNS server that chains plugins. Prior to version 1.14.0, multiple CoreDNS server implementations (gRPC, HTTPS, and HTTP/3) lack critical resource-limiting controls. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exhaust memory and degrade or crash the server by opening many concurrent connections, streams, or sending oversized request bodies. The issue is similar in nature to CVE-2025-47950 (QUIC DoS) but affects additional server types that do not enforce connection limits, stream limits, or message size constraints. Version 1.14.0 contains a patch.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| coredns | coredns | before 1.14.0 | 1.14.0 | Patch available | CNA |
| — | github.com/coredns/coredns (Go) | before 1.14.0 | 1.14.0 | Patch available | GHSA-527x-5wrf-22m2 |
- coredns Vendorcoredns Affected before 1.14.0 Fixed in 1.14.0 Patch available CNA
- github.com/coredns/coredns (Go) Vendor— Affected before 1.14.0 Fixed in 1.14.0 Patch available GHSA-527x-5wrf-22m2
Remediation
- Fix · CNA coredns (coredns) Fixed in 1.14.0
- Fix · GHSA-527x-5wrf-22m2 github.com/coredns/coredns (Go) Fixed in 1.14.0 Advisory →
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2026:36873 Released 2026-07-08 · Red Hat rating ImportantSubmariner v0.20 security fixes and container updates
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.13 registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-agent-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-coredns-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/nettest-rhel9 +5
- RHSA-2026:25127 Released 2026-06-10 · Red Hat rating ImportantSubmariner v0.21 security fixes and container updates
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.14 registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-agent-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-coredns-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/nettest-rhel9 +5
- RHSA-2026:8151 Released 2026-04-14 · Red Hat rating ImportantSubmariner v0.22 security fixes and container updates
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.15 registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-agent-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/lighthouse-coredns-rhel9, registry.redhat.io/rhacm2/nettest-rhel9 +5
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.13 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:36873 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.14 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:25127 |
| Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.15 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:8151 |
Not affected: 4 products
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.13
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.14
- Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes 2.15
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-68151
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-527x-5wrf-22m2
References
Patch 2
Advisory 2
More Coredns vulnerabilities
- TI-2026-25615 CoreDNS TSIG authentication bypass on encrypted DNS transports CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-25384 CoreDNS DoH GET path missing size validation causes CPU and memory amplification CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-25382 CoreDNS DNS-over-QUIC unbounded goroutine growth leads to denial of service CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-27682 CoreDNS TSIG authentication bypass on gRPC, QUIC, DoH, and DoH3 transports CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-25885 CoreDNS transfer plugin subzone ACL bypass via lexicographic zone comparison CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.2
- TI-2026-44486 NULL pointer dereference in coredns CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-68151 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-68151 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-527x-5wrf-22m2 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-68151 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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