Dnsmasq: dnsmasq: out-of-bounds read in find_soa() due to missing extrabytes validation
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Information disclosure
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Low · None · None
- Fix status
- Deferred Red Hat: fix deferred
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-125 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in dnsmasq's find_soa() function in src/rfc1035.c. When parsing NS section records, extract_name() is called with extrabytes=0, failing to validate that 10 additional bytes exist for fixed-length DNS record fields. A remote attacker controlling a DNS zone can exploit this via a crafted NXDOMAIN response to cause a 10-byte heap out-of-bounds read, potentially accessing stale data from prior transactions.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | — | — | No fix listed | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | — | — | Not affected | CNA |
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 VendorRed Hat Affected — Fixed in — Not affected CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Red Hat |
| cpe:2.3:a:thekelleys:dnsmasq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | before 2.93 | Vulnerable | Thekelleys |
- cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Red Hat
- cpe:2.3:a:thekelleys:dnsmasq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions before 2.93 Vulnerable ·Thekelleys
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 6 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-12969
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-wmwj-946w-3m8w
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Red Hat Enterprise Linux vulnerabilities
- TI-2019-08259 Underflow in PHP-FPM can lead to RCE KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-10530 Code injection in [UNKNOWN] RichFaces KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-05975 GNU Bash through 4.3 bash43-025 processes trailing strings after certain malformed… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-05157 GNU Bash through 4.3 processes trailing strings after function definitions in the values… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2025-23530 Sudo before 1.9.17p1 allows local users to obtain root access because /etc/nsswitch.conf… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.3
- TI-2021-17490 mod_proxy SSRF KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.0
Sources
- CVE-2026-12969 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-12969 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-wmwj-946w-3m8w · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-12969 · 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