CVE-2026-33600: NULL Pointer Dereference in PowerDNS Recursor
CVE-2026-33600 is a medium severity vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor versions 5. 2. 0, 5. 3. 0, and 5. 4. 0. It involves a null pointer dereference triggered by a malicious authoritative server sending a crafted RPZ (Response Policy Zone) that lacks a necessary consistency check. This flaw can cause the PowerDNS Recursor to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability arises from a missing consistency check in the handling of RPZ data by PowerDNS Recursor, which allows a malicious authoritative DNS server to cause a null pointer dereference. When the Recursor processes this malformed RPZ, it crashes, leading to denial of service. The affected versions are 5.2.0, 5.3.0, and 5.4.0. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.4, reflecting a network attack vector requiring high attack complexity and privileges, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity but a high impact on availability.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation results in a denial of service by crashing the PowerDNS Recursor process. There is no impact on data confidentiality or integrity. The vulnerability requires a malicious authoritative DNS server to send a crafted RPZ, and the attacker must have high privileges and the ability to perform network attacks. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, consider restricting or validating RPZ data sources to trusted authoritative servers to reduce exposure. Monitor for updates from PowerDNS regarding patches or workarounds.
CVE-2026-33600: NULL Pointer Dereference in PowerDNS Recursor
Description
CVE-2026-33600 is a medium severity vulnerability in PowerDNS Recursor versions 5. 2. 0, 5. 3. 0, and 5. 4. 0. It involves a null pointer dereference triggered by a malicious authoritative server sending a crafted RPZ (Response Policy Zone) that lacks a necessary consistency check. This flaw can cause the PowerDNS Recursor to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
CVSS v3.1
Score 4.4medium
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability arises from a missing consistency check in the handling of RPZ data by PowerDNS Recursor, which allows a malicious authoritative DNS server to cause a null pointer dereference. When the Recursor processes this malformed RPZ, it crashes, leading to denial of service. The affected versions are 5.2.0, 5.3.0, and 5.4.0. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.4, reflecting a network attack vector requiring high attack complexity and privileges, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity but a high impact on availability.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation results in a denial of service by crashing the PowerDNS Recursor process. There is no impact on data confidentiality or integrity. The vulnerability requires a malicious authoritative DNS server to send a crafted RPZ, and the attacker must have high privileges and the ability to perform network attacks. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is released, consider restricting or validating RPZ data sources to trusted authoritative servers to reduce exposure. Monitor for updates from PowerDNS regarding patches or workarounds.
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: 69e898dd19fe3cd2cd8c392f
Added to database: 4/22/2026, 9:46:05 AM
Last enriched: 4/29/2026, 11:11:14 AM
Last updated: 6/6/2026, 2:40:51 AM
Views: 65
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