CVE-2026-12969
MEDIUM 5.3An 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.
No known exploitation, public exploit, or elevated probability at this time. Track for changes.
Exploitation likelihood
0.2%chance of exploitation in 30 days · 15th percentile
Impact if exploited
5.3CVSS 3.1 · MEDIUM
- ConfidentialityLow
- IntegrityNone
- AvailabilityNone
What an attacker needs
- ✓Access: Reachable over the network — no local access needed
- ✓Privileges: No account or privileges required
- ✓User interaction: No user interaction needed
- ✓Complexity: No special conditions — reliably repeatable
✓ lowers the bar for an attacker · ⚠ raises it
Proof of concept & exploit code
- github-search Search GitHub for public PoC repos
Test against your own equipment
curl -s https://vulnpedia.com/cve/CVE-2026-12969/poc.jsonMachine-readable PoC index for this CVE (for automation).Listed for defensive triage, patch verification, and authorized testing on systems you own. Machine-readable: /cve/CVE-2026-12969/poc.json
Affected
Vendors Red Hat Redhat Thekelleys
Products Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat Openshift Container Platform 4 Enterprise Linux Dnsmasq
Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Known Affected Software Configurations
| Vendor | Product | Version range |
|---|---|---|
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 10.0 |
| Thekelleys | Dnsmasq | < 2.93 |
All CVSS metrics
- MEDIUM 5.3 v3.1 · CNA Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N - MEDIUM 5.3 v3.1 · NVD Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N