Remote DNS-over-QUIC denial of service due to `quic-size` budget bypass
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.22.0 up to and including 1.25.1, when downstream DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ) is enabled, the first two bidirectional streams on a new QUIC connection (stream_id 0 and 4) bypass the per-stream 'quic-size' gate entirely, and large input buffers are allocated later, after only the 2-byte length prefix has been received from the initial streams. As a result, a remote client can make Unbound exceed the configured 'quic-size' limit with low-cost input. Using only one connection and two streams, each sending a declared 65535-byte length prefix and then holding the streams open, a client can already trivially make Unbound roughly allocate double that amount. This is a remote availability issue / memory-accounting bypass in the downstream DoQ implementation that leads to denial of service for new DoQ clients. This vulnerability needs Unbound to be compiled with DoQ support ('--with-libngtcp2') and the 'quic-port' to be configured for the listening interfaces.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLnet Labs | Unbound | 1.22.0 to before 1.25.2 | 1.25.2 | Patch available | CNA |
- Unbound VendorNLnet Labs Affected 1.22.0 to before 1.25.2 Fixed in 1.25.2 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Unbound (NLnet Labs) Fixed in 1.25.2
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:43588 Released 2026-07-22 · Red Hat rating ImportantRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images python3-unbound-1.25.2-0.1.hum1@aarch64, python3-unbound-1.25.2-0.1.hum1@x86_64, unbound-1.25.2-0.1.hum1@aarch64 +14
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
NLnet Labs Unbound 1.25.2
24 records Highest priority Priority LOW 24 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-40374 'dns-error-reporting: yes' leads to stack buffer overflowPriority LOW 39
- TI-2026-29375 Packet of death for DNSCrypt over TCPPriority LOW 39
- TI-2026-32581 Cross-zone wildcard cache poisoning via RRSIG.labels manipulationPriority LOW 38
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Important. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:43588 |
Not affected: 7 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- 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-2026-32665
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-v3cq-93xf-4p42
- 2026-10-24 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-11-05 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
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-2026-32665 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-32665 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-v3cq-93xf-4p42 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-32665 · 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