'serve-expired-client-timeout' and 'response-ip' CNAME redirect could lead to a crash
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.10.0 up to and including 1.25.1, when 'serve-expired: yes' is set together with a 'response-ip: <net> redirect' /'response-ip-data: <net> CNAME <target>' rule (or the RPZ 'rpz-cname-override' equivalent), a remote client who controls any delegated domain can crash the daemon. The serve-expired-client-timeout callback runs a two-pass loop to chase the respip-generated CNAME alias; on the second pass it resets 'alias_rrset' but not 'partial_rep'. Later, this inconsistency leads to a NULL pointer dereference and an eventual crash. A malicious actor can exploit the vulnerability by controlling any zone that replies with an A/AAAA record that falls inside the configured response-ip/rpz subnet. By delaying the answer when the previous record has expired, the vulnerable path of 'serve-expired-client-timeout' is taken leading to denial of service via the server crash.
Problem Types
| Type | CWE ID | Description |
|---|
| CWE | CWE-476 | CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference |
Type: CWE
Description: CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Metrics
| Version | Base score | Base severity | Vector |
|---|
| 3.1 | 5.9 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H |
Version: 3.1
Base score: 5.9
Base severity: MEDIUM
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Timeline
| Event | Date |
|---|
| Issue reported by Qifan Zhang | 2026-05-05 00:00:00 |
| Issue reported by Xin Wang | 2026-05-27 00:00:00 |
| NLnet Labs shares patch with Xin Wang | 2026-05-27 00:00:00 |
| Xin Wang verifies patch | 2026-05-27 00:00:00 |
| NLnet Labs shares patch with Qifan Zhang | 2026-05-29 00:00:00 |
| Qifan Zhang verifies patch | 2026-06-03 00:00:00 |
| Fixes released with version 1.25.2 | 2026-07-22 00:00:00 |
Event: Issue reported by Qifan Zhang
Date: 2026-05-05 00:00:00
Event: Issue reported by Xin Wang
Date: 2026-05-27 00:00:00
Event: NLnet Labs shares patch with Xin Wang
Date: 2026-05-27 00:00:00
Event: Xin Wang verifies patch
Date: 2026-05-27 00:00:00
Event: NLnet Labs shares patch with Qifan Zhang
Date: 2026-05-29 00:00:00
Event: Qifan Zhang verifies patch
Date: 2026-06-03 00:00:00
Event: Fixes released with version 1.25.2
Date: 2026-07-22 00:00:00