Description
PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 does not properly handle a . (dot) inside labels, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (backend CPU consumption) via a crafted DNS query.
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 14 | pdns | 4.0.0~alpha1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pdns | 4.0.0~alpha1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pdns | 4.0.0~alpha1-1 | — |
| Debian 8 | pdns | 3.4.1-4+deb8u6 | DSA-3664-1 |
| Debian 7 | pdns | 3.1-4.1+deb7u2 | DLA-627-1 |
Advisories 2
- DLA-627-1 pdns - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3664-1 pdns - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- https://github.com/PowerDNS/pdns/commit/881b5b03a590198d03008e4200dd00cc537712f3
- 1036761 vdb-entry
- DSA-3664 vendor-advisory
- 92917 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20160909 PowerDNS Security Advisory 2016-01: Crafted queries can cause unexpected backend load mailing-list
- https://doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-01/