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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-42389: PowerDNS Recursor · Improper Input Validation

Affects PowerDNS RecursorSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.3 Medium : upgrade to 5.4.3 when convenient.

Data as of 8 Nov 2026, 23:24 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.3Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 22% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 5.4.3
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 25 Jun 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: 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 8 Nov 2026.

What to do

Upgrade Recursor and pdns-recursor to 5.4.3.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
PowerDNSRecursorAffected
  • >=5.4.0 <5.4.3
Fixed in
  • 5.4.3
GitHubpdns-recursorpkg:github/pdns-recursorOther threatsAffected
  • >=5.4.0 <5.4.3
Fixed in
  • 5.4.3

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

AI-suggested

A fix is available as indicated by the vendor's note of extra validation hardening in the 5.4.x branch. Users should upgrade to PowerDNS Recursor version 5.4.3 or later to ensure the vulnerability is addressed. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed in the advisory, so users should verify the vendor's official release notes or advisories for the exact fixed version and apply updates accordingly.

Description

This fix provides extra hardening for the 5.4.x branch by doing extra validation of incoming answers from authoritative servers.

References

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