Hickory DNS accepts forged DNSSEC nonexistence proofs via NSEC3
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Security bypass
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · High · None
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA. Impact type from CWE-290.
Summary
Hickory DNS hickory-net from 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 and hickory-proto through 0.26.0-alpha.1 check NSEC3 record names insufficiently during DNSSEC verification. The checks compare only the hashed label and do not confirm that the record belongs to the correct zone (CWE-290). A remote attacker without privileges can supply NSEC3 records from another zone with a matching hash label to forge DNSSEC nonexistence proofs.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-08
Description from the CNA
Hickory DNS hickory-net 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 and hickory-proto through 0.26.0-alpha.1 perform insufficient checks on NSEC3 record names during DNSSEC verification, comparing only the hashed label without confirming the record belongs to the correct zone. Attackers can supply NSEC3 records from another zone with a matching hash label to forge DNSSEC nonexistence proofs.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hickory-dns | hickory-dns | 0.26.0-beta.1 to before 0.26.2 | 0.26.2 | Patch available | CNA |
| hickory-dns | hickory-dns | up to 0.26.0-alpha.1 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- hickory-dns Vendorhickory-dns Affected 0.26.0-beta.1 to before 0.26.2 Fixed in 0.26.2 Patch available CNA
- hickory-dns Vendorhickory-dns Affected up to 0.26.0-alpha.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
Remediation
Upgrade hickory-net to version 0.26.2. The sources list no fixed version for hickory-proto.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-11-08
- Fix · CNA hickory-dns (hickory-dns) Fixed in 0.26.2
Fixed in the same release
Records fixed by the same vendor advisory or release, as the CNA lists them.
- Release ·
hickory-dns 0.26.2
36 records Highest priority Priority MEDIUM 36 MEDIUM
Other records, highest priority first
- TI-2026-86729 DNSSEC nonexistence forgery in Hickory DNS via wraparound NSECPriority MEDIUM 54
- TI-2026-86748 Resource exhaustion in hickory-dns recursor via glueless NS referralsPriority MEDIUM 53
- TI-2026-86747 DNSSEC validation bypass in Hickory DNS via RRSIG signer namePriority MEDIUM 53
Timeline
- 2026-11-08 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-123580
- 2026-11-08 Alias added: GHSA-wgx4-v7mx-crxr
References
More hickory-dns vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-18857 DNSSEC validation may accept broken authentication chains CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 5.7
- TI-2026-86729 DNSSEC nonexistence forgery in Hickory DNS via wraparound NSEC CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.9
- TI-2026-86750 CPU exhaustion in Hickory DNS hickory-proto via BinEncoder name compression CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-86749 Hickory DNS NSEC3 validation loop enables denial of service CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-86748 Resource exhaustion in hickory-dns recursor via glueless NS referrals CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
- TI-2026-86747 DNSSEC validation bypass in Hickory DNS via RRSIG signer name CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.7
Sources
- CVE-2026-123580 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-123580 · NVD
- GHSA-wgx4-v7mx-crxr · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
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