Review reviewHigh

CVE-2026-5172

dnsmasq dnsmasq, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

A buffer overflow in dnsmasq’s extract_addresses() function allows an attacker to trigger a heap out-of-bounds read and crash by exploiting a malformed DNS response, enabling extract_name() to advance the pointer past the record’s end.

CVSS
7.3
EPSS
2.68%
84.3% percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Published
2026.05.12
PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

Review review

The CVSS severity warrants an early asset and exposure review.

Known exploitationNot established by KEV
Exploit probability2.68%
Technical severityCVSS 7.3

Vulnerability overview

A buffer overflow in dnsmasq’s extract_addresses() function allows an attacker to trigger a heap out-of-bounds read and crash by exploiting a malformed DNS response, enabling extract_name() to advance the pointer past the record’s end.

Affected product and versions

Product
dnsmasq dnsmasq, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Affected versions
< 2.92rel2
Fixed versions
No verified fixed-version field is available yet

Recommended response sequence

Confirm exposure before applying a vendor-supported change.

Full remediation guide
  1. 1
    Identify

    Confirm that dnsmasq dnsmasq, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and an affected version are present.

  2. 2
    Prioritize

    Combine exploitation signals with asset exposure and business criticality.

  3. 3
    Remediate

    Follow the vendor advisory or supported update path and preserve rollback options.

  4. 4
    Verify

    Recheck the version, service health, access paths, and relevant logs.

Technical data

CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
CWE
CWE-125