CVE-2026-33261: Missing Support for Integrity Check in PowerDNS Recursor
CVE-2026-33261 is a medium severity vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor versions 5. 2. 0, 5. 3. 0, and 5. 4. 0. It involves a missing support for integrity checks during a zone transition from NSEC to NSEC3, which can cause an internal inconsistency leading to a denial of service (DoS). The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently available from the vendor.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor occurs when transitioning DNS zones from NSEC to NSEC3, triggering an internal inconsistency that results in a denial of service. The affected versions are 5.2.0, 5.3.0, and 5.4.0. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.9, reflecting a network attack vector with high attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. The impact is limited to availability, with no confidentiality or integrity loss. No vendor advisory or patch information is currently available, and the product is not a cloud service.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause a denial of service condition in the affected PowerDNS Recursor versions by triggering internal inconsistencies during zone transitions from NSEC to NSEC3. This impacts the availability of the DNS resolution service but does not affect confidentiality or integrity of data. There are no known exploits in the wild, reducing immediate risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, consider monitoring DNS zone transitions involving NSEC to NSEC3 carefully and limit exposure of vulnerable versions where possible. No vendor-provided mitigations or workarounds are currently documented.
CVE-2026-33261: Missing Support for Integrity Check in PowerDNS Recursor
Description
CVE-2026-33261 is a medium severity vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor versions 5. 2. 0, 5. 3. 0, and 5. 4. 0. It involves a missing support for integrity checks during a zone transition from NSEC to NSEC3, which can cause an internal inconsistency leading to a denial of service (DoS). The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity but affects availability. No official patch or remediation guidance is currently available from the vendor.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor occurs when transitioning DNS zones from NSEC to NSEC3, triggering an internal inconsistency that results in a denial of service. The affected versions are 5.2.0, 5.3.0, and 5.4.0. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 5.9, reflecting a network attack vector with high attack complexity and no privileges or user interaction required. The impact is limited to availability, with no confidentiality or integrity loss. No vendor advisory or patch information is currently available, and the product is not a cloud service.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause a denial of service condition in the affected PowerDNS Recursor versions by triggering internal inconsistencies during zone transitions from NSEC to NSEC3. This impacts the availability of the DNS resolution service but does not affect confidentiality or integrity of data. There are no known exploits in the wild, reducing immediate risk.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, consider monitoring DNS zone transitions involving NSEC to NSEC3 carefully and limit exposure of vulnerable versions where possible. No vendor-provided mitigations or workarounds are currently documented.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- OX
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-18T10:06:16.573Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69e89fe619fe3cd2cd8f5f51
Added to database: 4/22/2026, 10:16:06 AM
Last enriched: 4/22/2026, 10:31:11 AM
Last updated: 4/22/2026, 12:34:00 PM
Views: 6
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