// For flags

CVE-2023-6516

Specific recursive query patterns may lead to an out-of-memory condition

Severity Score

7.5
*CVSS v3.1

Exploit Likelihood

*EPSS

Affected Versions

*CPE

Public Exploits

0
*Multiple Sources

Exploited in Wild

-
*KEV

Decision

Attend
*SSVC
Descriptions

To keep its cache database efficient, `named` running as a recursive resolver occasionally attempts to clean up the database. It uses several methods, including some that are asynchronous: a small chunk of memory pointing to the cache element that can be cleaned up is first allocated and then queued for later processing. It was discovered that if the resolver is continuously processing query patterns triggering this type of cache-database maintenance, `named` may not be able to handle the cleanup events in a timely manner. This in turn enables the list of queued cleanup events to grow infinitely large over time, allowing the configured `max-cache-size` limit to be significantly exceeded.
This issue affects BIND 9 versions 9.16.0 through 9.16.45 and 9.16.8-S1 through 9.16.45-S1.

Para mantener eficiente su base de datos de caché, `named` que se ejecuta como un solucionador recursivo intenta ocasionalmente limpiar la base de datos. Utiliza varios métodos, incluidos algunos que son asincrónicos: primero se asigna una pequeña porción de memoria que apunta al elemento de caché que se puede limpiar y luego se pone en cola para su posterior procesamiento. Se descubrió que si el solucionador procesa continuamente patrones de consulta que desencadenan este tipo de mantenimiento de la base de datos de caché, es posible que "named" no pueda manejar los eventos de limpieza de manera oportuna. Esto, a su vez, permite que la lista de eventos de limpieza en cola crezca infinitamente con el tiempo, lo que permite superar significativamente el límite de "tamaño máximo de caché" configurado. Este problema afecta a las versiones 9.16.0 a 9.16.45 y 9.16.8-S1 a 9.16.45-S1 de BIND 9.

A flaw was found in the `named` application, part of the bind9 package, which uses a cache database to speeds up DNS queries. To maintain its efficiency when running as a recursive name resolver, `named` performs a cache database clean up under certain conditions. This issue may allow an attacker to craft a continuous set of crafted queries, which can induce `named` to trigger the cleanup process with a high frequency, making the internal cleanup items queue to grow indefinitely. This can lead to an uncontrolled memory consumption and resource starvation, potentially making `named` consume all available memory in the host, leading to a Denial of Service of the targeted system.

*Credits: ISC would like to thank Infoblox for bringing this vulnerability to our attention.
CVSS Scores
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
* Common Vulnerability Scoring System
SSVC
  • Decision:Attend
Exploitation
None
Automatable
Yes
Tech. Impact
Partial
* Organization's Worst-case Scenario
Timeline
  • 2023-12-05 CVE Reserved
  • 2024-02-13 CVE Published
  • 2024-08-02 CVE Updated
  • 2024-10-23 EPSS Updated
  • ---------- Exploited in Wild
  • ---------- KEV Due Date
  • ---------- First Exploit
CWE
  • CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
  • CWE-789: Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value
CAPEC
Affected Vendors, Products, and Versions
Vendor Product Version Other Status
Vendor Product Version Other Status <-- --> Vendor Product Version Other Status
ISC
Search vendor "ISC"
BIND 9
Search vendor "ISC" for product "BIND 9"
>= 9.16.0 <= 9.16.45
Search vendor "ISC" for product "BIND 9" and version " >= 9.16.0 <= 9.16.45"
en
Affected