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CVE.org (no NVD analysis yet)· CNA VulnCheck

CVE-2026-123601: Hickory DNS 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 NSEC3 Proof of Nonexistence Forgery

HighCVSS 8.3 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 33/100)

  • 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: 0.27% (FIRST EPSS).
  • 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: hickory-dns hickory-dns 0.26.2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to hickory-dns hickory-dns 0.26.2 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

Hickory DNS hickory-proto 0.25.0 through 0.26.0-alpha.1 and hickory-net 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 invert the relational operators in the wrap-around branch of find_covering_record() in nsec3.rs, so the last NSEC3 record in a zone's hash ring covers every hash except its owner. Attackers able to inject DNS responses can replay that NSEC3 record and its RRSIG to forge DNSSEC-validated negative responses denying legitimate names.

Published
Nov 8, 2026
Updated
Nov 10, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 20th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

33

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
33 / 40 · 8.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · VulnCheck
8.3
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-123601

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • 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.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

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

  • hickory-dns hickory-dns

    • 0.26.2not affected
    • 0.26.0-beta.1 and later · before 0.26.2affected · semver
    • 0.25.0 and later · up to and including 0.26.0-alpha.1affected · semver

Package-level exposure

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

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:13rust-hickory-protofrom 0—
Debian:14rust-hickory-netbefore 0.26.3-10.26.3-1

Same product

hickory-dns: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-123587Hickory-DNS 0.26.0 before 0.26.2 DNSSEC Nonexistence Forgery via Wraparound NSEC
    35Monitor
  • CVE-2026-123608Hickory DNS hickory-proto 0.3.1 before 0.26.1 CPU Exhaustion via BinEncoder Name Compression
    34Monitor
  • CVE-2026-123607Hickory DNS NSEC3 Closest-Encloser Proof Unbounded Loop Denial of Service
    34Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-123599Nov 8, 2026 · Hickory DNS before 0.26.0-beta.1 DNSSEC Validation Bypass via Non-IN Class Records
    25Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-123600Nov 8, 2026 · Hickory DNS hickory-proto 0.25.0-alpha.3 through 0.25.2 NSEC3 Apex NODATA Validation Bypass
    25Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-123602Nov 8, 2026 · Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching
    32Monitor

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
hickory-dns hickory-dns0.26.2Vendor (CNA)
debian:rust-hickory-net0.26.3-1 · Debian:14Package 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.

  1. Published
  2. Fix recordedsame day
  3. TodayNov 12, 2026+4 d
EPSS, last 120 days

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

Credits

All researchers

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

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · 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
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-480 · Use of Incorrect Operator

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

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.

Change log

  1. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. Exploit maturity— → none
  3. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

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

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