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NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

CVE-2017-15908: In systemd 223 through 235, a remote DNS server can respond with a custom crafted DNS NSEC resource record to trigger an infinite loop in…

HighCVSS 7.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 37/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 23.6% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 97.8% of all records.
  • 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.
  • Fixed version: systemd (Debian:12) 235-3; systemd (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 249.4-2.2; systemd (SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2) 228-150.29.1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to systemd (Debian:12) 235-3; systemd (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 249.4-2.2; systemd (SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2) 228-150.29.1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In systemd 223 through 235, a remote DNS server can respond with a custom crafted DNS NSEC resource record to trigger an infinite loop in the dns_packet_read_type_window() function of the 'systemd-resolved' service and cause a DoS of the affected service.

Published
Oct 26, 2017
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
23.6% · 97th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

37

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
7 / 30 · 23.6%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
systemd projectsystemd
canonicalubuntu linux

Affected versions

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

  • canonical ubuntu linux14.04
  • canonical ubuntu linux16.04
  • systemd project systemd223
  • systemd project systemd224
  • systemd project systemd225
  • systemd project systemd226
  • systemd project systemd227
  • systemd project systemd228
+7 more rows
  • systemd project systemd229
  • systemd project systemd230
  • systemd project systemd231
  • systemd project systemd232
  • systemd project systemd233
  • systemd project systemd234
  • systemd project systemd235

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12systemdbefore 235-3235-3
openSUSE:Tumbleweedsystemdbefore 249.4-2.2249.4-2.2
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2systemdbefore 228-150.29.1228-150.29.1

Same product

systemd project: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2017-9445In systemd through 233, certain sizes passed to dns_packet_new in systemd-resolved can cause it to allocate a buffer that's too small.
    48Plan
  • CVE-2018-21029systemd 239 through 245 accepts any certificate signed by a trusted certificate authority for DNS Over TLS.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2015-7510Stack-based buffer overflow in the getpwnam and getgrnam functions of the NSS module nss-mymachines in systemd.
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2017-9217May 24, 2017 · systemd-resolved through 233 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a crafted DNS response with an empty…
    35Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2017-1000082Jul 7, 2017 · systemd v233 and earlier fails to safely parse usernames starting with a numeric digit (e.g.
    40Plan
  • Later →CVE-2017-18078Jan 29, 2018 · systemd-tmpfiles in systemd before 237 attempts to support ownership/permission changes on hardlinked files even if the…
    31Monitor

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
debian:systemd235-3 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:systemd249.4-2.2 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
suse:systemd228-150.29.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP2Package 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.

Patch and commit links

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

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

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-835 · Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/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.

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

References

Show all references (4 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records