Description
In NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.26.1, an observable cache-level side-channel can be exposed with 'unwanted-reply-threshold > 0' configurations (not a default configuration). If a response-like UDP datagram reaches the upstream source port currently used by a recursive query, but its TXID does not match any pending query, Unbound counts the packet as an unwanted reply. When the accumulated count reaches the configured threshold, Unbound clears the worker's RRset cache and message cache. This cache clear action does not destroy the current upstream UDP pending query. Therefore, an external observer can distinguish whether a candidate port matches the current upstream source port by checking whether an existing cached item has been cleared. This is a cache side-channel vulnerability that can be used to probe the upstream source port. Although the attack is not feasible on default configurations and the suggested value (10 million) makes it an ureliable attack on a public resolver, in scenarios where the attacker can keep a concurrent query window alive, the attacker can first filter the source port and then perform birthday-style guessing against the TXID, making cache poisoning a feasible attack path.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLnet Labs | Unbound | < 1.26.2 | 1.26.2 |
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 | unbound | 1.26.2-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | unbound | 1.26.2-0+deb13u1 | — |
| Debian 12 | unbound | No fix yet | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 26.10 | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
Show 4 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | unbound | No fix yet | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | unbound | 1.26.2-1.1 | openSUSE-SU-2026:12257-1 |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | unbound +5 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.17 | ALAS2023-2026-3313 |
Azure Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Linux 3 | unbound | 1.26.2-1 | — |
Advisories 3
- WID-SEC-2026-4073 Unbound: Mehrere Schwachstellen BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Nov 9, 2026
- ALAS2023-2026-3313 Moderate: unbound security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Oct 26, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2026:12257-1 libunbound8-1.26.2-1.1 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Oct 24, 2026
References
- https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-109125.txt vendor-advisory