Description
BIND 8.3.x through 8.3.3 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (termination due to assertion failure) via a request for a subdomain that does not exist, with an OPT resource record with a large UDP payload size.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.0 | bind | 8.3.3-2.0woody1 | DSA-196 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- ISC BIND 8.3.x - OPT Record Large UDP Denial of Service EDB-22011 · dos · Nov 12, 2002 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- DSA-196 bind - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- CA-2002-31 third-party-advisory
- http://www.isc.org/products/BIND/bind-security.html
- 2002-11-21 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:449 vdb-entry signature
- DSA-196 vendor-advisory
- SSRT2408 vendor-advisory
- 20021118 TSLSA-2002-0076 - bind mailing-list
- VU#229595 third-party-advisory
- bind-opt-rr-dos(10332) vdb-entry
- 6161 vdb-entry
- 20021115 [OpenPKG-SA-2002.011] OpenPKG Security Advisory (bind, bind8) mailing-list
- 20021112 [Fwd: Notice of serious vulnerabilities in ISC BIND 4 & 8] mailing-list
- N-013 third-party-advisory government-resource
- 20021112 Multiple Remote Vulnerabilities in BIND4 and BIND8 third-party-advisory
- MDKSA-2002:077 vendor-advisory