How severe is CVE-2018-14644?

CVE-2018-14644 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability low.

Is CVE-2018-14644 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-14644?

CVE-2018-14644 affects Powerdns Recursor. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-14644?

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

When was CVE-2018-14644 published?

CVE-2018-14644 was published on 2018-11-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-14644

CVE-2018-14644 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Powerdns Recursor with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3. 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-20.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.3)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (91st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Powerdns Recursor
Published: 2018-11-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue has been found in PowerDNS Recursor from 4.0.0 up to and including 4.1.4. A remote attacker sending a DNS query for a meta-type like OPT can lead to a zone being wrongly cached as failing DNSSEC validation. It only arises if the parent zone is signed, and all the authoritative servers for that parent zone answer with FORMERR to a query for at least one of the meta-types. As a result, subsequent queries from clients requesting DNSSEC validation will be answered with a ServFail.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-14644?: An issue has been found in PowerDNS Recursor from 4.0.0 up to and including 4.1.4. A remote attacker sending a DNS query for a meta-type like OPT can lead to a zone being wrongly cached as failing DNSSEC validation. It only arises if the parent zone is signed, and all the authoritative servers for that parent zone answer with FORMERR to a query for at least one of the meta-types. As a result, subsequent queries from clients requesting DNSSEC validation will be answered with a ServFail.
How severe is CVE-2018-14644?: CVE-2018-14644 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability low.
Is CVE-2018-14644 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (91st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-14644?: CVE-2018-14644 affects Powerdns Recursor. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-14644?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-14644 published?: CVE-2018-14644 was published on 2018-11-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:powerdns:recursor:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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