musl libc before 1.1.17 has a buffer overflow via crafted DNS replies because dns_parse_callback in network/lookup_name.c does not restrict
musl libc before 1.1.17 has a buffer overflow via crafted DNS replies because dns_parse_callback in network/lookup_name.c does not restrict the number of addresses, and thus an attacker can provide an unexpected number by sending A records in a reply to an AAAA query.
- Published
- Oct 19, 2017
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.0% · 80th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-119
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Report tools
Action score
31
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.0%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| musl-libc | musl | cpe:2.3:a:musl-libc:musl |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- musl-libc muslup to 1.1.6 inclusive
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.2 | musl | before 1.1.11-r5 | 1.1.11-r5 |
| Alpine:v3.3 | musl | before 1.1.12-r8 | 1.1.12-r8 |
| Alpine:v3.4 | musl | before 1.1.14-r16 | 1.1.14-r16 |
| Alpine:v3.5 | musl | before 1.1.15-r8 | 1.1.15-r8 |
| Alpine:v3.6 | musl | before 1.1.16-r14 | 1.1.16-r14 |
| Debian:12 | musl | before 1.1.17-1 | 1.1.17-1 |
Same product
musl-libc: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2014-3484Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in the __dn_expand function in network/dn_expand.c in musl libc 1.1x before 1.1.2 and 0.9.13 through 140Plan
- CVE-2019-14697musl libc through 1.1.23 has an x87 floating-point stack adjustment imbalance, related to the math/i386/ directory.40Plan
- CVE-2015-1817Stack-based buffer overflow in the inet_pton function in network/inet_pton.c in musl libc 0.9.15 through 1.0.4, and 1.1.0 through 1.1.7 allo40Plan
- CVE-2026-40200An issue was discovered in musl libc 0.7.10 through 1.2.6.32Monitor
- CVE-2025-26519musl libc 0.9.13 through 1.2.5 before 1.2.6 has an out-of-bounds write vulnerability when an attacker can trigger iconv conversion of untrus28Monitor
- CVE-2020-28928In musl libc through 1.2.1, wcsnrtombs mishandles particular combinations of destination buffer size and source character limit, as demonstr22Monitor
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 |
|---|---|---|
| alpine:musl | 1.1.11-r5 · Alpine:v3.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:musl | 1.1.17-1 · 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.
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
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-119 · Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory BufferCVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Overflow BuffersCAPEC-100likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer ManipulationCAPEC-123likelihood: High · Very High
- Client-side Injection-induced Buffer OverflowCAPEC-14likelihood: Medium · High
- Filter Failure through Buffer OverflowCAPEC-24likelihood: High · High
- MIME ConversionCAPEC-42likelihood: High · High
- Overflow Binary Resource FileCAPEC-44likelihood: High · Very High
- Buffer Overflow via Symbolic LinksCAPEC-45likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
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✗ → ✓
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References
- git.musl-libc.org/cgit/musl/commit/?id=45ca5d3fcb6f874bf5ba55d0e9651cef68515395
- git.musl-libc.org/cgit/musl/tree/WHATSNEW
- openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/10/19/5
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.