CVE-2026-33278
Publication date 20 May 2026
Last updated 2 June 2026
Ubuntu priority
Description
NLnet Labs Unbound 1.19.1 up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability in the DNSSEC validator that enables denial of service and possible remote code execution as a result of deep copying a data structure and erroneously overwriting a destination pointer. An adversary can exploit the vulnerability by controlling a malicious signed zone and querying a vulnerable Unbound. When DS sub-queries need to suspend validation due to NSEC3 computational budget exhaustion (introduced in Unbound 1.19.1), Unbound deep-copies response messages to preserve them across memory region teardown. A struct-assignment bug overwrites the destination's pointer with the source's pointer. After the sub-query region is freed, the resumed validator dereferences this dangling pointer, triggering a crash or potentially enabling arbitrary code execution. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix to preserve the correct pointer when deep copying the data structure.
Read the notes from the security team
Why is this CVE high priority?
Possible remote code execution
Status
| Package | Ubuntu Release | Status |
|---|---|---|
| unbound | 26.04 LTS resolute |
Fixed 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1
|
| 25.10 questing |
Fixed 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3
|
|
| 24.04 LTS noble |
Fixed 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8
|
|
| 22.04 LTS jammy |
Not affected
|
|
| 20.04 LTS focal |
Not affected
|
|
| 18.04 LTS bionic |
Not affected
|
|
| 16.04 LTS xenial |
Not affected
|
|
| 14.04 LTS trusty |
Not affected
|
Notes
Severity score breakdown
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Base score |
9.8 · Critical
|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
References
Related Ubuntu Security Notices (USN)
- USN-8282-1
- Unbound vulnerabilities
- 20 May 2026