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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2026-69184: C ares · Prior to 1.34.7, ares_dns_name_parse() enforces backward DNS compression pointers but does

Affects c-aresSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in 1.10.0-3ubuntu0.2+esm4 : patch c-ares soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.5High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 41% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 1.10.0-3ubuntu0.2+esm4, 1.14.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm3, 1.15.0-1ubuntu0.5+esm1 +3
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 18 Sep 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu 26.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=resoluteOther threatsAffected
  • <1.34.6-1ubuntu0.2
Fixed in
  • 1.34.6-1ubuntu0.2
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threatsAffected
  • <1.27.0-1.0ubuntu1.1
Fixed in
  • 1.27.0-1.0ubuntu1.1
Ubuntu 22.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=jammyOther threatsAffected
  • <1.18.1-1ubuntu0.22.04.4
Fixed in
  • 1.18.1-1ubuntu0.22.04.4
Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/focalOther threatsAffected
  • <1.15.0-1ubuntu0.5+esm1
Fixed in
  • 1.15.0-1ubuntu0.5+esm1
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=esm-infra/bionicOther threatsAffected
  • <1.14.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm3
Fixed in
  • 1.14.0-1ubuntu0.2+esm3
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSc-arespkg:deb/ubuntu/c-ares?arch=source&distro=esm-infra-legacy/xenialOther threatsAffected
  • <1.10.0-3ubuntu0.2+esm4
Fixed in
  • 1.10.0-3ubuntu0.2+esm4

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

c-ares is an asynchronous resolver library. Prior to 1.34.7, ares_dns_name_parse() enforces backward DNS compression pointers but does not bound the total pointer hops or assembled name length. A malicious DNS server can send a response containing a long descending pointer chain and many resource records whose NAME or RDATA fields refer to the chain, causing repeated decompression work that grows quadratically with message size. A single crafted response can stall the single-threaded c-ares event loop and deny DNS resolution, without causing memory corruption or information disclosure. This issue is fixed in version 1.34.7.

References

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