CVE-2026-50243: 'response-ip'/'rpz' can rewrite BOGUS answers instead of returning SERVFAIL
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 25/100)
- 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: 0.10% (FIRST EPSS).
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
- Fixed version: NLnet Labs Unbound 1.25.2; azl3 unbound 1.25.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.25.2-1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to NLnet Labs Unbound 1.25.2; azl3 unbound 1.25.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 1.25.2-1 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 NLnet Labs Unbound 1.6.2 up to and including 1.25.1, when Unbound is configured with the 'respip' module in front of the validator together with a 'response-ip' redirect rule or an RPZ file with an RPZ-IP trigger, the rewriting handler does not check the security status of the upstream answer and can instead rewrite a BOGUS A/AAAA answer to point to an operator's configured IP. If the validator finds an expired or otherwise invalid RRSIG on an answer whose A record falls within a 'response-ip'/RPZ configuration, the answer is still rewritten and given a hard coded security level of INSECURE. This results in the client receiving an INSECURE NOERROR reply rewritten by the operator's configured IP. A malicious actor can exploit the possible poisonous effect by spoofing a BOGUS A/AAAA answer that falls inside the operator's configured subnet rewrites. Such DNSSEC protected answers are then insecurely redirected to the operator's configured target.
- Published
- Jul 22, 2026
- Updated
- Oct 24, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.1% · 1th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-348
Report tools
Action score
25
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.1%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · NLnet Labs
- 6.3
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/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.
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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.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected 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.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| nlnetlabs | unbound | cpe:2.3:a:nlnetlabs:unbound |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- nlnetlabs unbound1.6.2 and later · before 1.25.2
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
- 1.6.2 and later · before 1.25.2affected · semver
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.22 | unbound | from 1.6.2 · before 1.25.2-r0 | 1.25.2-r0 |
| Debian:12 | unbound | from 0 | — |
| Debian:13 | unbound | before 1.26.1-0+deb13u1 | 1.26.1-0+deb13u1 |
| Debian:14 | unbound | before 1.25.2-1 | 1.25.2-1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 16.0 | unbound | before 1.25.2-160000.1.1 | 1.25.2-160000.1.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | unbound | before 1.25.2-1.1 | 1.25.2-1.1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | python3-unbound | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-anchor | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-devel | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-dracut | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-libs | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-munin | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | unbound-utils | before 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | unbound | before 1.25.2-150100.10.28.1 | 1.25.2-150100.10.28.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | unbound | before 1.25.2-150600.23.19.1 | 1.25.2-150600.23.19.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | unbound | before 1.25.2-1.1 | 1.25.2-1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | unbound | before 1.25.2-slfo.1.1_1.1 | 1.25.2-slfo.1.1_1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.2 | unbound | before 1.25.2-160000.1.1 | 1.25.2-160000.1.1 |
Same product
nlnetlabs: all recordsOther 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
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-50045Jul 22, 2026 · 'max-global-quota' reset by DNSSEC validation restarts21Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2026-50046Jul 22, 2026 · Possible heap use-after-free in an error path when a DoT forwarded query is jostled out23Monitor
- Later →CVE-2026-50248Jul 22, 2026 · BOGUS configured primary hostname accepted for XFR in auth/rpz zones26Monitor
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 |
|---|---|---|
| NLnet Labs Unbound | 1.25.2 | Vendor (CNA) |
| azl3 unbound 1.25.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 | 1.25.2-1 · CBL-Mariner Releases | Microsoft (MSRC) |
| alpine:unbound | 1.25.2-r0 · Alpine:v3.22 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:unbound | 1.26.1-0+deb13u1 · Debian:13 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:unbound | 1.25.2-1.1 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:python3-unbound | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-anchor | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-devel | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-dracut | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-libs | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-munin | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| red hat:unbound-utils | 0:1.25.2-0.1.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:unbound | 1.25.2-160000.1.1 · SUSE:Linux Micro 6.2 | 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.
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.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-348 · Use of Less Trusted SourceCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/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.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.