CVE-2026-33594: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in PowerDNS DNSdist
A client can trigger excessive memory allocation by generating a lot of queries that are routed to an overloaded DoH backend, causing queries to accumulate into a buffer that will not be released until the end of the connection.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability in PowerDNS DNSdist allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to trigger excessive memory allocation by generating a high volume of DNS queries routed to an overloaded DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) backend. The queries accumulate in a buffer that is not released until the connection closes, potentially leading to denial of service due to resource exhaustion. The issue affects versions 1.9.0 and 2.0.0 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3, indicating medium severity. No official fix or patch has been confirmed as of the published date.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause a denial of service condition by exhausting memory resources on the DNSdist server due to unbounded buffering of queries when the DoH backend is overloaded. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity reported. No known exploits in the wild have been documented.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, consider limiting query rates or implementing external rate limiting to reduce the risk of resource exhaustion. Monitor backend DoH service load to avoid overload conditions that trigger the vulnerability.
CVE-2026-33594: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in PowerDNS DNSdist
Description
A client can trigger excessive memory allocation by generating a lot of queries that are routed to an overloaded DoH backend, causing queries to accumulate into a buffer that will not be released until the end of the connection.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability in PowerDNS DNSdist allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to trigger excessive memory allocation by generating a high volume of DNS queries routed to an overloaded DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) backend. The queries accumulate in a buffer that is not released until the connection closes, potentially leading to denial of service due to resource exhaustion. The issue affects versions 1.9.0 and 2.0.0 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3, indicating medium severity. No official fix or patch has been confirmed as of the published date.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability can cause a denial of service condition by exhausting memory resources on the DNSdist server due to unbounded buffering of queries when the DoH backend is overloaded. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity reported. No known exploits in the wild have been documented.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, consider limiting query rates or implementing external rate limiting to reduce the risk of resource exhaustion. Monitor backend DoH service load to avoid overload conditions that trigger the vulnerability.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- OX
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-23T12:57:56.814Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 69e8d83319fe3cd2cdbdac0a
Added to database: 4/22/2026, 2:16:19 PM
Last enriched: 4/22/2026, 2:32:30 PM
Last updated: 4/23/2026, 12:55:02 AM
Views: 3
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