Possible ZONEMD verification bypass window
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 1 fixed, 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-345.
Summary
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.13.2 up to and including 1.26.1, a vulnerability in ZONEMD configured zones (zonemd-check: yes) which are located below (but not at) a trust anchor allow for an attack window where (tampered with) zone contents are served (or stored to disk) prior to the ZONEMD integrity check. This is caused by the needed DS/DNSKEY asynchronous resolution that needs to happen before the ZONEMD check completes. If a zonefile is written to disk (zonefile: option) while the ZONEMD check failed, the tampered data are reloaded on startup and available until ZONEMD verification concludes again. If verification fails, the data is not served any more but still persists on disk for future reloads.
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 | 1.13.2 to before 1.26.1 | 1.26.1 | Patch available | CNA |
- Unbound VendorNLnet Labs Affected 1.13.2 to before 1.26.1 Fixed in 1.26.1 Patch available CNA
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Unbound (NLnet Labs) Fixed in 1.26.1
Red Hat 1 advisory
- RHSA-2026:68590 Released 2026-09-17 · Red Hat rating CriticalRed Hat Hardened Images RPMs bug fix and enhancement update
- Red Hat Hardened Images python3-unbound-1.26.1-1.hum1@aarch64, python3-unbound-1.26.1-1.hum1@x86_64, unbound-1.26.1-1.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 1.26.1
9 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 2 MEDIUM, 7 LOW
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-56302 Heap buffer overflow and possible Remote Code Execution when digesting DNSKEYPriority MEDIUM 49
- TI-2026-57038 CNAME synthesis could lead to heap corruptionPriority MEDIUM 40
- TI-2026-58665 Retrap: Novel Vulnerabilities to launch Algorithmic Complexity Attacks on DNSSECPriority LOW 39
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | Fixed | RHSA-2026:68590 |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-77955
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-w62x-5q5r-fgmp
- 2026-11-06 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-2026-77955 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-77955 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-w62x-5q5r-fgmp · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-77955 · 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