CVE-2026-78301 (CVSS 5.8)

Description

A malformed zone may contain an NS or DNAME node above its origin, which `named` treats as a zone cut. If an attacker inserts a malformed zone into a BIND authoritative server (e.g., via zone transfer), queries for names inside the configured zone then lose authoritative status and return an out-of-zone delegation. On a server that also provides recursion BIND can follow this locally sourced cut and cache attacker-supplied data, affecting names outside the configured zone. This situation persists as long as the malformed zone remains in the zone database. This issue affects BIND 9 versions 9.11.0 through 9.18.50, 9.20.0 through 9.20.27, 9.21.0 through 9.21.25, 9.11.3-S1 through 9.18.50-S1, and 9.20.9-S1 through 9.20.27-S1.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.8

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0021

Probability of exploitation

0.10%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-349 CWE-349

References

Other References

https://downloads.isc.org/isc/bind9/9.20.29 https://downloads.isc.org/isc/bind9/9.21.26 https://kb.isc.org/docs/cve-2026-78301

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-78301? +

A malformed zone may contain an NS or DNAME node above its origin, which `named` treats as a zone cut. If an attacker inserts a malformed zone into a BIND authoritative server (e.g., via zone transfer), queries for names inside the configured zone then lose authoritative status and return an out-of-zone delegation. On a server that also provides recursion BIND can follow this locally sourced cut and cache attacker-supplied data, affecting names outside the configured zone. This situation persists as long as the malformed zone remains in the zone database. This issue affects BIND 9 versions 9.11.0 through 9.18.50, 9.20.0 through 9.20.27, 9.21.0 through 9.21.25, 9.11.3-S1 through 9.18.50-S1, and 9.20.9-S1 through 9.20.27-S1. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.8 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2026-78301? +

CVE-2026-78301 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.8 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance. The EPSS score is 0.0021, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-78301? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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