CVE-2026-123573hickory-dns improper input validation
CVE-2026-123573 is a improper input validation in hickory-dns, rated high (8.7 on CVSS 4.0).
Why this priority: High severity, with no exploitation signal yet.
Published · Updated · NVD status: Deferred
What it is
The software trusts input it should check, so crafted values reach code that assumes they are well formed.
How it is reached
An attacker can exploit it over the network, without an account, and nobody has to click anything.
What an attacker gains
A successful attack can take it offline. In practice, this kind of flaw lets an attacker drive the component into behaviour its authors did not intend.
Is it being exploited?
There is no public report of exploitation yet. It can be exploited automatically, at scale.
What to do
- Upgrade hickory-dns to 0.26.2 or later.
- Until it is patched, keep it off the internet or behind a VPN, allowlist or authenticating proxy.
Description from NVD
hickory-dns from 0.20.1 before 0.26.2 contains a denial of service vulnerability in the hickory-proto SVCB and HTTPS record presentation format parser. Attackers can supply untrusted zone files where only a single or double quote replaces a service parameter value, triggering a panic that crashes the parsing process.
What this means for your architecture.
A CVE names a product. Whether it matters depends on where that product sits in your systems: what reaches it, which trust boundary it guards and what it can reach once compromised. Veriom maps your components, their relationships and your trust boundaries from your code, cloud and delivery evidence, so you can see where a component like this sits. The radar itself does not look at your systems.
Components it touches
- Interfaces that accept external input. The flaw sits at the input boundary of the affected component.
Trust boundaries in play
- Internet-facing entry points. No account is needed. Any instance reachable from outside your perimeter, through a load balancer, gateway, VPN or exposed admin port, is in scope.
- At the input boundary of the affected component. An attacker who crosses it can drive the component into behaviour its authors did not intend.
Questions to answer about your own systems
- Where does hickory-dns run in your systems, and at which version?
- Which of those instances can be reached from the internet or partner networks?
- What can it reach once compromised: which data stores, secrets and services?
Sources
- CVE records and CVSS scores from the NVD CVE API. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
- Exploitation status from CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
- Exploit likelihood from FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), refreshed daily.
- Explanations are written by Veriom from fixed templates over each record’s data, not by a person reviewing each CVE. Descriptions are quoted from the records as published.