How severe is CVE-2020-24698?

CVE-2020-24698 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-24698 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-24698?

CVE-2020-24698 affects Powerdns Authoritative. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-24698?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-24698 published?

CVE-2020-24698 was published on 2020-10-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-24698

CVE-2020-24698 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Powerdns Authoritative with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-415.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (86th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-415
Affected product: Powerdns Authoritative
Published: 2020-10-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in PowerDNS Authoritative through 4.3.0 when --enable-experimental-gss-tsig is used. A remote, unauthenticated attacker might be able to cause a double-free, leading to a crash or possibly arbitrary code execution. by sending crafted queries with a GSS-TSIG signature.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-24698?: An issue was discovered in PowerDNS Authoritative through 4.3.0 when --enable-experimental-gss-tsig is used. A remote, unauthenticated attacker might be able to cause a double-free, leading to a crash or possibly arbitrary code execution. by sending crafted queries with a GSS-TSIG signature.
How severe is CVE-2020-24698?: CVE-2020-24698 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-24698 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (86th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-24698?: CVE-2020-24698 affects Powerdns Authoritative. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-24698?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-24698 published?: CVE-2020-24698 was published on 2020-10-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://doc.powerdns.com/authoritative/security-advisories/powerdns-advisory-2020-06.html

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:powerdns:authoritative:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Powerdns Authoritative

CVE-2020-24696 — High (CVSS 8.1): An issue was discovered in PowerDNS Authoritative through 4.3.0 when --enable-experimental-gss-tsig is used. A remote,…
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CVE-2015-1868 — High (CVSS 7.8): The label decompression functionality in PowerDNS Recursor 3.5.x, 3.6.x before 3.6.3, and 3.7.x before 3.7.2 and…
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CVE-2020-24697 — High (CVSS 7.5): An issue was discovered in PowerDNS Authoritative through 4.3.0 when --enable-experimental-gss-tsig is used. A remote,…
CVE-2015-5230 — High (CVSS 7.5): The DNS packet parsing/generation code in PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server 3.4.x before 3.4.6 allows remote…

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