CVE-2026-123606: hickory-recursor · Recursor Followed Every Glueless Name Server
Affects hickory-recursorSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.7 High · fixed in 0.26.2 : patch hickory-recursor soon.
Data as of 12 Nov 2026, 15:36 UTC
Thin evidence
One scorer or none| CNA (VulnCheck) | CVSS 4.0 | 8.7 |
|---|---|---|
| CNA (VulnCheck) | CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 |
| CNA | CVSS 4.0 | 8.7 |
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 0.26.2
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:NExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Nov 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by 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 12 Nov 2026.
What to do
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
crates.iohickory-recursorpkg:cargo/hickory-recursorOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
AI-suggested
Users should upgrade from hickory-recursor to hickory-resolver version 0.26.2 or later with the recursor feature enabled, as this version contains the fix for the vulnerability. No fixed release exists for hickory-recursor, so migration to hickory-resolver is necessary. There is no indication that other mitigations or workarounds are available or required.
Description
A vulnerability in hickory-recursor versions from 0.25.0-alpha.3 onward allows an attacker controlling a DNS zone to cause the recursor to resolve every glueless name server in a referral without limits. This can lead to a large volume of queries being sent to victim servers (NXNSAttack pattern) or exhaustion of the recursor's resources. The recursor functionality moved to hickory-resolver starting with version 0.26.0-beta.1, and a fix is available in hickory-resolver 0.26.2. No hickory-recursor release contains a fix, so users should upgrade to hickory-resolver 0.26.2 or later with the recursor feature enabled.
References
- crates.io/crates/hickory-recursor (opens in a new tab)
- rustsec.org/advisories/RUSTSEC-2026-0521.html (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/commit/74062f3a3ef6904b64717dd025945702b2cf4133 (opens in a new tab)
- github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/commit/47cd005b8f3d190134bbb943d2328ef8a83ade8c (opens in a new tab)