CVE-2026-55973
7.5 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2026-55973 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting nlnetlabs unbound. It was published on July 22, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.23.0 up to and including 1.25.1, when 'dns-error-reporting: yes' is set, the EDNS Report-Channel option (code 18) from the last upstream response is read and uses the option's length as the length of the agent domain. When a domain name check is performed on the agent domain, the returned lenght is not used and if the agent domain is followed by garbage, those bytes are moved onto the tail of the synthetic '_er.' report query name. That query name is later used in the iterator via a subquery to send out the DNS Error Report and when Unbound tries to walk that query name during 'find_closest_of_type()', it strips labels using the query name length rather than stopping at the embedded root, walks one byte past it, and feeds the first garbage byte to 'dname_query_hash()' as a label length writing over the stack variable 'labuf'. One ordinary upstream response from a delegated zone the attacker controls is sufficient to terminate the daemon.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from nlnetlabs. Update unbound to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| nlnetlabs | unbound | >= 1.23.0, < 1.25.2 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2026-55973?
CVE-2026-55973 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting nlnetlabs unbound. It was published on July 22, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2026-55973?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-55973?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from nlnetlabs. Update unbound to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-55973?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2026-55973 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
AI-driven PR review catches vulnerable dependencies before they ship.
Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
Related HIGH CVEs from 2026
View all →H3 is a minimal H(TTP) framework built for high performance and portability. Prior to 1.15.5, there
OpenProject is an open-source, web-based project management software. To enable the real time collab
OpenSift is an AI study tool that sifts through large datasets using semantic search and generative
Budibase is a low code platform for creating internal tools, workflows, and admin panels. In 3.24.0
FileBrowser Quantum is a free, self-hosted, web-based file manager. Prior to 1.3.1-beta and 1.2.2-st
Shopware is an open commerce platform. Prior to 6.6.10.15 and 6.7.8.1, a vulnerability in the Shopwa
ChurchCRM is an open-source church management system. Prior to 7.1.0, a stored cross-site scripting
A Stored Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability was discovered in the Assets and Nodes functionality due
Postiz is an AI social media scheduling tool. Prior to version 2.21.6, a file upload validation bypa
A server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability was identified in GitHub Enterprise Server that a
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in HTMLy version 3.1.1 in the content creation funct
An Improper Certificate Validation in Ivanti EPMM before versions 12.6.1.1, 12.7.0.1, and 12.8.0.1 a