Description
An issue has been found in PowerDNS before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2, and PowerDNS recursor before 3.7.4 and 4.0.4, allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause an abnormal CPU usage load on the PowerDNS server by sending crafted DNS queries, which might result in a partial denial of service if the system becomes overloaded. This issue is based on the fact that the PowerDNS server parses all records present in a query regardless of whether they are needed or even legitimate. A specially crafted query containing a large number of records can be used to take advantage of that behaviour.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-Xchange | pdns | 3.4.11, 4.0.2, 3.7.4, 4.0.4 | — |
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 | 4.0.2-1 | — |
| Debian 14 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.4-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pdns | 4.0.2-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.4-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pdns | 4.0.2-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.4-1 | — |
| Debian 8 | pdns | 3.4.1-4+deb8u7 | DSA-3764-1 |
| Debian 8 | pdns-recursor | 3.6.2-2+deb8u3 | DSA-3763-1 |
| Debian 7 | pdns | 3.1-4.1+deb7u3 | DLA-798-1 |
| Debian 7 | pdns-recursor | 3.3-3+deb7u2 | DLA-788-1 |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | pdns-recursor | 3.5.3-1ubuntu0.1 | — |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | pdns +1 | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | pdns | 4.5.1-1.5 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11156-1 |
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | pdns-recursor | 4.5.5-1.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11157-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.5 | pdns | 4.0.3-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.5 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.4-r0 | — |
Advisories 6
- DLA-788-1 pdns-recursor - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DLA-798-1 pdns - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3764-1 pdns - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-3763-1 pdns-recursor - security update Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11156-1 pdns-4.5.1-1.5 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:11157-1 pdns-recursor-4.5.5-1.3 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-7068
- DSA-3764 vendor-advisory
- DSA-3763 vendor-advisory
- https://doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-02/