NLnet Labs Unbound 1.19.1 up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability in the DNSSEC validator that enables denial of service and possible remote code execution as a result of deep copying a data structure and erroneously overwriting a destination pointer. An adversary can exploit the vulnerability by controlling a malicious signed zone and querying a vulnerable Unbound. When DS sub-queries need to suspend validation due to NSEC3 computational budget exhaustion (introduced in Unbound 1.19.1), Unbound deep-copies response messages to preserve them across memory region teardown. A struct-assignment bug overwrites the destination's pointer with the source's pointer. After the sub-query region is freed, the resumed validator dereferences this dangling pointer, triggering a crash or potentially enabling arbitrary code execution. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix to preserve the correct pointer when deep copying the data structure.
This page covers CVE-2026-33278 as tracked by Ubuntu, for the package unbound. The fix is available in version 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1; earlier versions remain affected.
This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, 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 high, integrity high, availability high.
The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-33278 is classified as CWE-416: Use After Free. Memory is used after being released, so its contents may already belong to something else.
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-33278 is recorded against 1 package.
Published on 20 May 2026 and last revised on 30 June 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.
ubuntu.com (Report)
www.cve.org (Report)
nlnetlabs.nl (Report)
ubuntu.com (Advisory)
unbound has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:
These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-416: Use After Free) in other software:
Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:
Details
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Packages
| Software | From version | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| unbound | — | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 |
References
Similar Threats
Exploit Protection
UBUNTU-CVE-2026-33278 carries CVSS 9.8 Critical rating. BotEraser checks your installation against this and other known CVE records, and blocks IPs associated with exploit activity.
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