CVE-2026-96405

MEDIUMCVSS 5.3/10EPSS 0.25%

Last modified

CVE-2026-96405 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.3/10 on the CVSS scale. NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.26.1 limits compression-pointer traversal for each individual domain-name operation but has no aggregate inbound decompression-work budget. Many chained compression pointers in a message results in a lot of CPU usage following them. EPSS estimates a 0.25% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.26.1 limits compression-pointer traversal for each individual domain-name operation but has no aggregate inbound decompression-work budget. Many chained compression pointers in a message results in a lot of CPU usage following them. A malicious actor with recursive-query access and control of an ordinarily delegated authority that serves specially crafted replies can exploit the vulnerability and degrade Unbound's general performance.

Metrics

EPSS Probability
0.25%

16.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Source: CNA advisory (CVE.org). NVD analysis pending.

VendorProductVersions
NLnet LabsUnbound< 1.26.2

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Awaiting Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-96405?
NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.26.1 limits compression-pointer traversal for each individual domain-name operation but has no aggregate inbound decompression-work budget. Many chained compression pointers in a message results in a lot of CPU usage following them. A malicious actor with recursive-query access and control of an ordinarily delegated authority that serves specially crafted replies can exploit the vulnerability and degrade Unbound's general performance.
How severe is CVE-2026-96405?
CVE-2026-96405 has a CVSS score of 5.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.25% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2026-96405?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

How Strix Helps

Related CVEs from 2026

Are you affected by CVE-2026-96405?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST