🛡️ CVE-2026-56416 — unbound
Description
In NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.25.1, when the validator builds the canonical RDATA form for an RRSIG-covered PX/RP/MINFO/SOA RRset, it computes the address of the second embedded domain name as 'datstart + dname_valid(datstart, ...)' and passes it straight to 'query_dname_tolower()' without checking that a second name is actually present in the RDATA. The wire-format parser accepts multi-dname RRs whose RDATA ends after the first name, so an attacker who runs a DNSSEC-signed authoritative server can deliver a record with an absent second domain name (e.g. SOA record) and cause 'query_dname_tolower()' to walk label-by-label through stale bytes in the per-worker 'env->scratch_buffer', past the end of that heap allocation if 'msg-buffer-size' has been lowered from the default. This leads to heap buffer overflow and on a release build the outcome relies heavily on the contents of the buffer tail and the adjacent heap chunk.
How this vulnerability can be exploited
This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is high, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity low, availability low.
Weakness class
CVE-2026-56416 is classified as CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value. A checksum or integrity value is not verified properly, so tampered data passes as intact.
Affected software
CVE-2026-56416 is recorded against 1 package.
- unbound (fixed in 1.25.2)
Timeline and source
Published on 22 July 2026 and last revised on 24 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.
References
Details
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| unbound | — | 1.25.2 |
References
Similar Threats
- Unknown ALPINE-CVE-2026-42955
- Unknown ALPINE-CVE-2026-41292
- Unknown ALPINE-CVE-2026-32792
- Unknown ALPINE-CVE-2026-33278
- Unknown ALPINE-CVE-2026-40622
Vulnerability Monitoring
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