CVE-2026-12969

What it is

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in dnsmasq's find_soa() function in src/rfc1035.c. When parsing NS section records, extract_name() is called with extrabytes=0, failing to validate that 10 additional bytes exist for fixed-length DNS record fields. A remote attacker controlling a DNS zone can exploit this via a crafted NXDOMAIN response to cause a 10-byte heap out-of-bounds read, potentially accessing stale data from prior transactions.

At a glance

Exploitability

Can be exploited over the network without logging in. Limited direct impact.

Exploit odds

0.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).

Fix

A patch, advisory or fixed version is referenced. Upgrade or apply it.

Timeline

1. 2026-06-23 14:17 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2. 2026-08-31 12:17 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Details

Published

2026-06-23 14:17 UTC

Last modified

2026-08-31 12:17 UTC

Exploit probability

0.3% · EPSS, next 30 days

Weakness

CWE-125 · Out-of-bounds read

Record status

Analyzed

Affected

• Redhat Enterprise Linux 10.0
• Thekelleys Dnsmasq < 2.93

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 5.3

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges needed

None

User interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

None