CVE-2026-123602
📛 CVE Title
Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching
Description
The Hickory DNS recursor in all versions of hickory-recursor and in hickory-resolver 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 (recursor feature) is vulnerable to ghost domain names attacks because it reuses child-side apex NS RRsets cached from zone NS queries for iterative resolution. By repeatedly querying a zone's NS records, an attacker keeps the stale RRset cached indefinitely, letting name servers whose delegation the parent revoked keep answering for the zone.
Overview
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Assigner (CNA)
- VulnCheck
- CVSS severity
- HIGH
- CVSS score
- 8.2 / 10
- CVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N- Effective score
- 8.2 / 10 HIGH source: CNA overview
- CWE(s)
-
CWE-672 - Reserved
- 2026-11-06
- Published
- 2026-11-08 01:38 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-11-08 01:38 UTC
- Source
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2026/123xxx/CVE-2026-123602.json
- Linked Threat
- CVE-2026-123602 — Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching
European Union Vulnerability Database ENISA EUVD
ENISA's official EU repository for curated vulnerability intelligence. Carries a separate identifier (EUVD-YYYY-NNNN) and frequently exposes an earlier-published description + CVSS than NVD does.
- EUVD ID
-
EUVD-2026-119361
EUVD enrichment is queued; refresh the page in a few seconds.
Affected products (2)
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| hickory-dns | hickory-dns |
0 (affected)
|
— |
| hickory-dns | hickory-dns |
0.26.0-beta.1 (affected),
0.26.2 (unaffected)
|
— |
Vendor references (2)
References embedded in the original CVE record by the assigning CNA.
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-2hxp-x833-73f7) vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching third-party-advisory
MITRE references (2) cveawg.mitre.org
Pulled from MITRE's CVE Services API by the 🛰 Backfill from MITRE button.
- GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-2hxp-x833-73f7) vendor-advisory
- VulnCheck Advisory: Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching third-party-advisory
Web references (0)
DuckDuckGo results ranked by threat-intel / vendor advisory domains. Generated by the 🔎 Find references (web) button above — same flow as the Remediations search.
No web references attached yet.
Remediations (10)
Remediations are stored against the linked Threat row; the list below is deduplicated across both pages.
-
web:app.opencve.io
Explore the latest vulnerabilities and security issues in the CVE database
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:learn.microsoft.com
In this library you will find the following security documents that have been released by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). The MSRC investigates all reports of security vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft products and services, and releases these documents as part of the ongoing effort ...
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:senserva.com
Every Microsoft security patch (KB) and the CVEs it fixes, with severity, CVSS, and CISA KEV status. Cross-linked to the CVE reference.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:support.esri.com
This patch deals specifically with the issues listed below under Issues Addressed with this Patch . As part of the patch installation, the Portal for ArcGIS service is stopped and restarted. The restart may take several minutes depending on the number of items on the enterprise deployment. As a best practice, clear the browser cache and re-launch the browser after installing the patch . This ...
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.aikido.dev
CVE remediation is fixing known flaws in the software you run. Why upgrading often fails, what remediation actually involves, and how backporting fixes it.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.bleepingcomputer.com
Today is Microsoft's October 2026 Patch Tuesday, with security updates addressing a record-breaking 1,411 flaws, including one actively exploited and two publicly disclosed zero-day vulnerabilities.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.microsoft.com
If you can't patch immediately: Apply the PHP project's interim mitigations and the Azure WAF protections. Note: This reduces exposure but doesn't fix the underlying vulnerabilities.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.openhands.dev
Compare 8 automated vulnerability remediation tools for 2026 on fixes, prioritization, integrations, and deployment control.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
This Critical Patch Update contains 1448 new security patches across the product families listed below. Please note that a My Oracle Support (MOS) note summarizing the content of this Critical Patch Update and other Oracle Software Security Assurance activities is located at July 2026 Critical Patch Update: Executive Summary and Analysis.
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC -
web:www.oracle.com
Oracle Database Server Client-Only Installations The following Oracle Database Server vulnerabilities included in this Critical Security Patch Update affect client-only installations: CVE - 2026 -83348 and CVE - 2026 -83156. Oracle Autonomous Health Framework Risk Matrix This Critical Security Patch Update contains 2 new security patches, plus additional third party patches noted below, for Oracle ...
2026-11-08 10:22 UTC
AI Forensic Analysis
Only Available for Registered Users. Sign in to view.
Raw JSON
The full cvelistV5 record. Download as CVE-2026-123602.json.
{
"containers": {
"cna": {
"affected": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageURL": "pkg:cargo/hickory-recursor",
"product": "hickory-dns",
"vendor": "hickory-dns",
"versions": [
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "0.26.0-alpha.1",
"status": "affected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
},
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageURL": "pkg:cargo/hickory-resolver",
"product": "hickory-dns",
"vendor": "hickory-dns",
"versions": [
{
"lessThan": "0.26.2",
"status": "affected",
"version": "0.26.0-beta.1",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0.26.2",
"versionType": "semver"
}
]
}
],
"credits": [
{
"lang": "en",
"type": "reporter",
"value": "qifan-sailboat"
}
],
"datePublic": "2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z",
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "The Hickory DNS recursor in all versions of hickory-recursor and in hickory-resolver 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 (recursor feature) is vulnerable to ghost domain names attacks because it reuses child-side apex NS RRsets cached from zone NS queries for iterative resolution. By repeatedly querying a zone's NS records, an attacker keeps the stale RRset cached indefinitely, letting name servers whose delegation the parent revoked keep answering for the zone."
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV4_0": {
"Automatable": "NOT_DEFINED",
"Recovery": "NOT_DEFINED",
"Safety": "NOT_DEFINED",
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"attackRequirements": "PRESENT",
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"baseScore": 8.2,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"exploitMaturity": "NOT_DEFINED",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"providerUrgency": "NOT_DEFINED",
"subAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
"subConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
"subIntegrityImpact": "NONE",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"valueDensity": "NOT_DEFINED",
"vectorString": "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N",
"version": "4.0",
"vulnAvailabilityImpact": "NONE",
"vulnConfidentialityImpact": "NONE",
"vulnIntegrityImpact": "HIGH",
"vulnerabilityResponseEffort": "NOT_DEFINED"
},
"format": "CVSS"
},
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"attackComplexity": "HIGH",
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"availabilityImpact": "NONE",
"baseScore": 5.9,
"baseSeverity": "MEDIUM",
"confidentialityImpact": "NONE",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N",
"version": "3.1"
},
"format": "CVSS"
}
],
"problemTypes": [
{
"descriptions": [
{
"cweId": "CWE-672",
"description": "Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release",
"lang": "en",
"type": "CWE"
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-11-08T01:38:30.008Z",
"orgId": "83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10",
"shortName": "VulnCheck"
},
"references": [
{
"name": "GitHub Security Advisory (GHSA-2hxp-x833-73f7)",
"tags": [
"vendor-advisory"
],
"url": "https://github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/security/advisories/GHSA-2hxp-x833-73f7"
},
{
"name": "VulnCheck Advisory: Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching",
"tags": [
"third-party-advisory"
],
"url": "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hickory-dns-recursor-ghost-domain-attack-via-child-side-ns-rrset-caching"
}
],
"title": "Hickory DNS Recursor Ghost Domain Attack via Child-Side NS RRset Caching",
"x_generator": {
"engine": "vulncheck-endgame"
}
}
},
"cveMetadata": {
"assignerOrgId": "83251b91-4cc7-4094-a5c7-464a1b83ea10",
"assignerShortName": "VulnCheck",
"cveId": "CVE-2026-123602",
"datePublished": "2026-11-08T01:38:30.008Z",
"dateReserved": "2026-11-06T01:00:16.506Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-11-08T01:38:30.008Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
},
"dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
"dataVersion": "5.2"
}