The label decompression functionality in PowerDNS Recursor before 3.6.4 and 3.7.x before 3.7.3 and Authoritative (Auth) Server before 3.3.3
The label decompression functionality in PowerDNS Recursor before 3.6.4 and 3.7.x before 3.7.3 and Authoritative (Auth) Server before 3.3.3 and 3.4.x before 3.4.5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption or crash) via a request with a long name that refers to itself. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2015-1868.
- Published
- Nov 2, 2015
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 11.3% · 96th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-399
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Report tools
Action score
34
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 31 / 40 · 7.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 3 / 30 · 11.3%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| powerdns | authoritative | cpe:2.3:a:powerdns:authoritative |
| powerdns | recursor | cpe:2.3:a:powerdns:recursor |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- powerdns authoritativeup to 3.3.2 inclusive
- powerdns authoritative3.4.0
- powerdns authoritative3.4.1
- powerdns authoritative3.4.2
- powerdns authoritative3.4.3
- powerdns authoritative3.4.4
- powerdns recursorup to 3.6.3 inclusive
- powerdns recursor3.7.1
- powerdns recursor3.7.2
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | pdns | before 3.4.5-1 | 3.4.5-1 |
| Debian:12 | pdns-recursor | before 3.7.3-1 | 3.7.3-1 |
| Debian:8 | pdns | before 3.4.1-4+deb8u2 | 3.4.1-4+deb8u2 |
| Debian:8 | pdns-recursor | before 3.6.2-2+deb8u2 | 3.6.2-2+deb8u2 |
Same product
powerdns: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2015-1868The label decompression functionality in PowerDNS Recursor 3.5.x, 3.6.x before 3.6.3, and 3.7.x before 3.7.2 and Authoritative (Auth) Server56Plan
- CVE-2016-5427PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 does not properly handle a .49Plan
- CVE-2020-24698An issue was discovered in PowerDNS Authoritative through 4.3.0 when --enable-experimental-gss-tsig is used.40Plan
- CVE-2015-5311PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server 3.4.4 before 3.4.7 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (assertion failure and serv40Plan
- CVE-2026-33608Incomplete domain name sanitization during39Monitor
- CVE-2016-5426PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (backend CPU consumption) via a 39Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:pdns | 3.4.5-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:pdns-recursor | 3.7.3-1 · Debian:12 | Package 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.
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.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
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
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- C · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- C
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-399 · Resource Management ErrorsCVSS vector
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
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
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/07/07/6
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/07/10/8
- doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2015-01/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.