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CVE-2022-30699· NVD / CVE Program· CNA NLnet Labs

Novel "ghost domain names" attack by updating almost expired delegation information

NLnet Labs Unbound, up to and including version 1.16.1, is vulnerable to a novel type of the "ghost domain names" attack. The vulnerability works by targeting an Unbound instance. Unbound is queried for a rogue domain name when the cached delegation information is about to expire. The rogue nameserver delays the response so that the cached delegation information is expired. Upon receiving the delayed answer containing the delegation information, Unbound overwrites the now expired entries. This action can be repeated when the delegation information is about to expire making the rogue delegation information ever-updating. From version 1.16.2 on, Unbound stores the start time for a query and uses that to decide if the cached delegation information can be overwritten.

MediumCVSS 6.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Aug 1, 2022
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
1.1% · 65th percentile
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

26

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.1%

Affected systems

VendorProduct
nlnetlabsunbound
fedoraprojectfedora

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • fedoraproject fedora35
  • fedoraproject fedora36
  • nlnetlabs unboundbefore 1.16.2

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (NLnet Labs). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • NLnet Labs Unbound

    • unspecified and later · up to and including 1.16.1affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
AlmaLinux:8python3-unboundbefore 1.16.2-2.el81.16.2-2.el8
AlmaLinux:8unboundbefore 1.16.2-2.el81.16.2-2.el8
AlmaLinux:8unbound-develbefore 1.16.2-2.el81.16.2-2.el8
AlmaLinux:8unbound-libsbefore 1.16.2-2.el81.16.2-2.el8
AlmaLinux:9python3-unboundbefore 1.16.2-2.el91.16.2-2.el9
AlmaLinux:9unboundbefore 1.16.2-2.el91.16.2-2.el9
AlmaLinux:9unbound-develbefore 1.16.2-2.el91.16.2-2.el9
AlmaLinux:9unbound-libsbefore 1.16.2-2.el91.16.2-2.el9
Alpine:v3.17unboundbefore 1.16.2-r01.16.2-r0
Debian:10unboundbefore 1.9.0-2+deb10u31.9.0-2+deb10u3
Debian:12unboundbefore 1.16.2-11.16.2-1
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython3-unboundbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreampython3-unbound-debuginfobefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunboundbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunbound-debuginfobefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunbound-debugsourcebefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunbound-develbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunbound-libsbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamunbound-libs-debuginfobefore 0:1.16.2-2.el80:1.16.2-2.el8
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreampython3-unboundbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el90:1.16.2-2.el9
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreampython3-unbound-debuginfobefore 0:1.16.2-2.el90:1.16.2-2.el9
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamunboundbefore 0:1.16.2-2.el90:1.16.2-2.el9
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamunbound-debuginfobefore 0:1.16.2-2.el90:1.16.2-2.el9
Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstreamunbound-debugsourcebefore 0:1.16.2-2.el90:1.16.2-2.el9

+17

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-25042Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an out-of-bounds write via a compressed name in rdata_copy.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-25039Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an integer overflow in a size calculation in respip/respip.c.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-25038Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an integer overflow in a size calculation in dnscrypt/dnscrypt.c.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-25035Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an out-of-bounds write in sldns_bget_token_par.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-25034Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an integer overflow in sldns_str2wire_dname_buf_origin, leading to an out-of-bounds write.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-25033Unbound before 1.9.5 allows an integer overflow in the regional allocator via the ALIGN_UP macro.
    40Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
almalinux:python3-unbound1.16.2-2.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:unbound1.16.2-2.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:unbound-devel1.16.2-2.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
almalinux:unbound-libs1.16.2-2.el8 · AlmaLinux:8Package registry (OSV)
alpine:unbound1.16.2-r0 · Alpine:v3.17Package registry (OSV)
debian:unbound1.16.2-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:unbound1.20.0-150600.23.3.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.6Package registry (OSV)
red hat:python3-unbound0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:python3-unbound-debuginfo0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound-debuginfo0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound-debugsource0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound-devel0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound-libs0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:unbound-libs-debuginfo0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Red Hat:enterprise_linux:8::appstreamPackage registry (OSV)
rocky linux:unbound0:1.16.2-2.el8 · Rocky Linux:8Package registry (OSV)
suse:unbound1.20.0-150600.23.3.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

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