CVE-2026-12969

CVE-2026-12969 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux 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-125.

Key facts

Description

An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in dnsmasq's find_soa() function in src/rfc1035.c. When parsing NS section records, extract_name() is called with extrabytes=0, failing to validate that 10 additional bytes exist for fixed-length DNS record fields. A remote attacker controlling a DNS zone can exploit this via a crafted NXDOMAIN response to cause a 10-byte heap out-of-bounds read, potentially accessing stale data from prior transactions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-12969?
An out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in dnsmasq's find_soa() function in src/rfc1035.c. When parsing NS section records, extract_name() is called with extrabytes=0, failing to validate that 10 additional bytes exist for fixed-length DNS record fields. A remote attacker controlling a DNS zone can exploit this via a crafted NXDOMAIN response to cause a 10-byte heap out-of-bounds read, potentially accessing stale data from prior transactions.
How severe is CVE-2026-12969?
CVE-2026-12969 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 low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-12969 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (16th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-12969?
CVE-2026-12969 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-12969?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2026-12969 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2026-12969 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-38449.
When was CVE-2026-12969 published?
CVE-2026-12969 was published on 2026-06-23 and last updated on 2026-07-08.

References

Affected products (2)

More vulnerabilities in Redhat Enterprise Linux

All CVEs affecting Redhat Enterprise Linux →

Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities

Browse all CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities →