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Dnsmasq CVE-2015-8899

HIGH
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2016-06-30 security@ubuntu.com
Denial Of Service Canonical Ubuntu Linux Dnsmasq Thekelleys
7.5
CVSS 3.0 · NVD
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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-20
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Impact

CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.08%.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

This vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network. Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

Dnsmasq before 2.76 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a reply with an empty DNS address that has an (1) A or (2) AAAA record defined locally. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20. Dnsmasq before 2.76 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a reply with an empty DNS address that has an (1) A or (2) AAAA record defined locally. Affected products include: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Thekelleys Dnsmasq. Version information: before 2.76.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Dnsmasq before 2.76 allows remote servers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a reply with an empty DNS address that has an (1) A or (2) AAAA record defined locally.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 77% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low
NVD CVE.org EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

38
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Denial of Service MEDIUM

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:15.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:thekelleys:dnsmasq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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References

Advisories & patches
REF http://lists.thekelleys.org.uk/pipermail/dnsmasq-discuss/2016q2/010479.html REF http://lists.thekelleys.org.uk/pipermail/dnsmasq-discuss/2016q2/010505.html REF http://thekelleys.org.uk/gitweb/?p=dnsmasq.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=41a8d9e99be9f2cc8b02051dd322cb45e0faac87 REF http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/03/7 REF http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/06/04/2 REF http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91031 REF http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036045 REF http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-3009-1

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