Description
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Recursor from 4.0.0 up to and including 4.1.4. A remote attacker sending a DNS query for a meta-type like OPT can lead to a zone being wrongly cached as failing DNSSEC validation. It only arises if the parent zone is signed, and all the authoritative servers for that parent zone answer with FORMERR to a query for at least one of the meta-types. As a result, subsequent queries from clients requesting DNSSEC validation will be answered with a ServFail.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| [UNKNOWN] | pdns | 4.0.9, 4.1.5 | — |
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-recursor | 4.1.7-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | pdns | 4.5.3-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTS | pdns-recursor | 4.6.0-1ubuntu1+esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | pdns +1 | 4.2.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | pdns | 4.1.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | pdns-recursor | 4.1.1-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | pdns | 4.0.0~alpha2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | pdns-recursor | 4.0.0~alpha2-2ubuntu0.1+esm1 | USN-7203-1 |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSE Package Hub 15 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.2-bp150.2.3.1 | openSUSE-SU-2018:4177-1 |
| SUSE Package Hub 12 SP1 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.8-13.1 | openSUSE-SU-2018:4062-1 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | pdns-recursor | 4.5.5-1.3 | openSUSE-SU-2024:11157-1 |
Alpine
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.24 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.23 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.22 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.21 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.20 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
Show 15 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.19 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.18 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.17 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.16 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.15 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.14 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.13 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.12 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.11 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.10 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.9 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.7-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.8 | pdns-recursor | 4.1.8-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.7 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.9-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.6 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.9-r0 | — |
| Alpine v3.5 | pdns-recursor | 4.0.9-r0 | — |
Advisories 5
- USN-7203-1 pdns, pdns-recursor vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2018:4177-1 Security update for pdns-recursor 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
- openSUSE-SU-2018:4062-1 Security update for pdns-recursor SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- WID-SEC-2025-0059 PowerDNS: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Jan 14, 2025