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PatchSiren cyber security CVE debrief

CVE-2026-42388 PowerDNS CVE debrief

A vulnerability in the PowerDNS Recursor, potentially leading to a crash due to incomplete validation of the SOA record in a catalog zone, has been identified. This issue, with a CVSS score of 5.9, is considered medium severity. The vulnerability was published on 2026-06-25T14:16:39.557Z and last modified on 2026-10-25T23:10:00.167Z. Defenders should assess their exposure and verify the version in use to prevent potential crashes. This vulnerability affects PowerDNS Recursor deployments, and its exploitation could lead to service disruption.

Vendor
PowerDNS
Product
Recursor
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.9
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2026-06-25
Original CVE updated
2026-10-25
Advisory published
2026-06-25
Advisory updated
2026-10-25

Who should care

Defenders responsible for PowerDNS Recursor deployments should assess their exposure and verify the version in use. This includes operators, platform administrators, vulnerability management teams, and security teams who need to ensure that their systems are updated or patched to prevent potential crashes due to this medium-severity vulnerability.

Why it matters

Defenders should prioritize verifying the version of PowerDNS Recursor in use and checking for any available patches or updates to prevent potential crashes due to this medium-severity vulnerability.

  • Verification of PowerDNS Recursor version is necessary to determine exposure
  • Patching or updating to a fixed version may be required to prevent crashes

Technical summary

The PowerDNS Recursor is vulnerable to a crash due to incomplete validation of the SOA record in a catalog zone. This issue has a CVSS score of 5.9 and is considered medium severity. The vulnerability affects PowerDNS Recursor deployments and could lead to service disruption if exploited. Verification of the PowerDNS Recursor version is necessary to determine exposure, and patching or updating to a fixed version may be required to prevent crashes.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying the version of PowerDNS Recursor in use and checking for any available patches or updates.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Verify the version of PowerDNS Recursor in use
  • Check for any available patches or updates
  • Review the PowerDNS security advisory for additional information

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD entry provide limited information about the vulnerability, with the primary details coming from the PowerDNS security advisory.

Sources and references

Verified primary and authoritative sources

  • CVE-2026-42388 CVE Program record

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-42388

    CVE Program - Official CVE Program record with source-provided CVE metadata.

  • CVE-2026-42388 NVD vulnerability detail

    Publisher, destination, and source semantics verified

    URL: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42388

    NIST National Vulnerability Database - Official NIST NVD detail page and source-specific vulnerability assessment.

Supplemental references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.