Out-of-Bounds Read Vulnerability in dnsmasq by Red Hat

CVE-2026-12969

What is CVE-2026-12969?

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the dnsmasq software can be exploited by a remote attacker who controls a DNS zone. The issue arises within the find_soa() function, where the extract_name() function fails to ensure that a sufficient buffer size exists for fixed-length DNS record fields when parsing NS section records. This oversight enables the attacker to craft a malicious NXDOMAIN response that can trigger a 10-byte heap out-of-bounds read. Consequently, this may lead to unauthorized access to stale data from previous transactions, thereby compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the affected systems.

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