How severe is CVE-2017-3138?

CVE-2017-3138 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-3138 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (92nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-3138?

CVE-2017-3138 primarily affects Isc Bind. In total, 36 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-3138?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2017-3138 published?

CVE-2017-3138 was published on 2019-01-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-3138

CVE-2017-3138 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Isc Bind with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-617.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
CVSS v2: 3.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (92nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-617
Affected product: Isc Bind
Published: 2019-01-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

named contains a feature which allows operators to issue commands to a running server by communicating with the server process over a control channel, using a utility program such as rndc. A regression introduced in a recent feature change has created a situation under which some versions of named can be caused to exit with a REQUIRE assertion failure if they are sent a null command string. Affects BIND 9.9.9->9.9.9-P7, 9.9.10b1->9.9.10rc2, 9.10.4->9.10.4-P7, 9.10.5b1->9.10.5rc2, 9.11.0->9.11.0-P4, 9.11.1b1->9.11.1rc2, 9.9.9-S1->9.9.9-S9.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-3138?: named contains a feature which allows operators to issue commands to a running server by communicating with the server process over a control channel, using a utility program such as rndc. A regression introduced in a recent feature change has created a situation under which some versions of named can be caused to exit with a REQUIRE assertion failure if they are sent a null command string. Affects BIND 9.9.9->9.9.9-P7, 9.9.10b1->9.9.10rc2, 9.10.4->9.10.4-P7, 9.10.5b1->9.10.5rc2, 9.11.0->9.11.0-P4, 9.11.1b1->9.11.1rc2, 9.9.9-S1->9.9.9-S9.
How severe is CVE-2017-3138?: CVE-2017-3138 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-3138 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (92nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-3138?: CVE-2017-3138 primarily affects Isc Bind. In total, 36 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-3138?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-3138 published?: CVE-2017-3138 was published on 2019-01-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (36)

cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:p7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:s1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.9:s7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.10:beta1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.10:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.9.10:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.4:p7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.5:b1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.5:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.10.5:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.0:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.0:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.0:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.0:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.1:b1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.1:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:isc:bind:9.11.1:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:data_ontap_edge:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:element_software:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_balance:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Isc Bind

CVE-2008-0122 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Off-by-one error in the inet_network function in libbind in ISC BIND 9.4.2 and earlier, as used in libc in FreeBSD 6.2…
CVE-2001-0011 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in nslookupComplain function in BIND 4 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.
CVE-2001-0013 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Format string vulnerability in nslookupComplain function in BIND 4 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.
CVE-2001-0010 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in transaction signature (TSIG) handling code in BIND 8 allows remote attackers to gain root privileges.
CVE-2000-1029 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Buffer overflow in host command allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands via a long response to an AXFR…
CVE-1999-0837 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Denial of service in BIND by improperly closing TCP sessions via so_linger.

All CVEs affecting Isc Bind →

Other CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-3615 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Valid deauth/disassoc frames is dropped in case if RMF is enabled and some rouge peer keep on sending rogue…
CVE-2019-9795 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability where type-confusion in the IonMonkey just-in-time (JIT) compiler could potentially be used by…
CVE-2026-31739 — High (CVSS 8.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: tegra - Add missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC The…
CVE-2020-12417 — High (CVSS 8.8): Due to confusion about ValueTags on JavaScript Objects, an object may pass through the type barrier, resulting in…
CVE-2020-6623 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__cff_get_index.
CVE-2020-6619 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__buf_seek.

Browse all CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities →