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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Gain adjacent-network access to TFTP segment
  2. Delivery
    Request a TFTP file to seed transfer cache
  3. Exploit
    Victim PXE client requests its boot file
  4. Execution
    Stale uninvalidated cache serves attacker content
  5. Impact
    Victim boots attacker-supplied image

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Operation on resource after expiration or release
Exploitation Conditions

Requires dnsmasq to be running with its TFTP server feature enabled (typically for PXE/network boot) - the flaw does not exist when TFTP is not in use. The attacker must be on the adjacent/local network able to issue TFTP requests to the server (AV:A), and exploitation is unauthenticated (PR:N, TFTP has no auth) with no user interaction (UI:N). Key limiting factors: the attack is high-complexity (AC:H) because the attacker cannot control when a later client will request the same file and thus receive the stale cached data; it is not remotely exploitable over the internet; and meaningful impact (malicious boot content) depends on the environment actually using dnsmasq TFTP for PXE provisioning, a non-default, specific deployment mode.

Impact

This is a moderate-severity, situational issue rather than a drop-everything emergency, and the signals are largely consistent. The CVSS 3.1 vector (AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N, 6.8) correctly frames it as adjacent-network (not internet-routable), high-complexity, and unauthenticated, with high confidentiality and integrity impact but no availability impact - matching CWE-672 (use of a resource after expiration/release: the TFTP transfer cache is not invalidated when a transfer completes). The vuln.today decision label is 'this_month', which aligns with a real-but-not-urgent priority. Exploitation status: no public exploit identified at time of analysis - there is no CISA KEV listing, no POC/exploit reference in the input, and no EPSS score provided, so widespread or automated exploitation is not indicated. The main caveat is that the real-world impact hinges entirely on deployment: the flaw matters only where dnsmasq's TFTP server is enabled, typically for PXE network boot, which is a specific (often datacenter/provisioning) configuration rather than a default. Within such environments the integrity consequence - substituting attacker-chosen boot content - is serious, but AC:H reflects that the attacker cannot control when a later client will request the stale-cached file. No conflicting signals were found; the chief gap is the absence of EPSS/KEV/POC data and no listed fixed version in the provided sources.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

On a LAN segment served by a dnsmasq instance with its TFTP server enabled for PXE boot, an attacker requests a TFTP file, leaving its contents in the transfer cache that is never invalidated after the transfer finishes. When a victim machine subsequently PXE-boots and requests its boot file, dnsmasq serves the previously cached data instead of the correct file, allowing attacker-chosen boot content to be delivered to the victim. No public exploit code is identified; the adjacent-network vector and high attack complexity (the attacker cannot control the timing of the later client request) limit opportunistic abuse.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 29, 2026

TFTP file substitution in dnsmasq allows an attacker on the local network to make a later client receive stale, previously cached transfer data instead of the file it requested; in PXE network-boot deployments this can substitute attacker-chosen boot content for a victim machine, giving both confidentiality and integrity impact. The flaw only exists when dnsmasq is running with its TFTP server feature enabled (a non-default configuration used for network boot), requires adjacent-network access (AV:A) with no authentication (PR:N) and no user interaction (UI:N), but is rated high complexity (AC:H) because the attacker cannot control when another client will request the same file and pick up the cached response. There is no CISA KEV entry and no public exploit code identified at time of analysis, and the vendor-reported CVSS 3.1 score is 6.8, making this a moderate, situational issue rather than an emergency; Red Hat tracks it for remediation within the current monthly cycle.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch was identified in the available data for CVE-2026-93006, so track the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-93006 and Bugzilla https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2536075 for the dnsmasq errata covering RHEL 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and the Ceph, OpenShift and OpenStack channels, and apply the updated dnsmasq package as soon as it is published. Because the defect only exists when the TFTP server is in use, the most direct mitigation is to disable it: remove or comment the enable-tftp directive (and any tftp-root setting) from dnsmasq.conf and restart the service, which eliminates the vulnerable code path entirely - the trade-off is that PXE/network boot clients served by that host will no longer boot until an alternative boot server is provided. Where TFTP must stay enabled for provisioning, restrict reachability of the TFTP service to the specific provisioning VLAN or subnet via host firewalls or network ACLs, since TFTP performs no authentication and any adjacent host can otherwise issue requests; the trade-off is tighter change control on boot infrastructure and the risk that legitimate PXE clients outside the permitted segment fail to boot. Environments that do not use dnsmasq for PXE boot should treat disabling TFTP as the primary control rather than waiting on the package update, and operators should not rely on monitoring alone, as a substituted boot image may only be visible as unexpected client behaviour.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

dnsmasq is a lightweight DNS forwarder, DHCP server and TFTP server commonly bundled in Linux distributions and appliances; its TFTP component is typically enabled alongside DHCP to support PXE/network boot of clients. The root cause is classed as CWE-672 (Operation on a Resource after Expiration or Release): dnsmasq keeps a cache of recently used TFTP transfers so repeat requests for the same file can be served efficiently, but that entry is not invalidated when a transfer completes, so the cached content remains usable after it should have been released. A client requesting a file that matches a stale cache entry can therefore be served bytes belonging to an earlier transfer rather than its own requested content. Because TFTP itself has no authentication or session integrity, any host on the adjacent network able to reach the TFTP service can issue requests, and the corruption is only detected by the receiving client. The trigger for the specific cache-reuse path is described only at this level in the available sources; what is confirmed is that the flaw is absent unless the TFTP server feature is in use, and that meaningful integrity impact requires an environment where dnsmasq TFTP actually serves PXE boot content. The Red Hat advisory (access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-93006) and Bugzilla entry 2536075 are the primary tracking references.

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Severity by source

Vendor (redhat) PRIMARY 6.8 MEDIUM
AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
vuln.today AI 6.8 MEDIUM

TFTP is adjacent-network and unauthenticated (AV:A, PR:N); AC:H because the attacker cannot control when a later client requests the stale-cached file; a victim receives another's data (C:H) and attacker-staged boot content (I:H), with no availability impact.

3.1 AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:A/AC:H/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (redhat).

CVSS VectorVendor: redhat

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

DescriptionCVE.org

A flaw was found in dnsmasq. The TFTP server can serve the wrong file contents because a recently used transfer cache is not invalidated when a transfer finishes. An attacker on the local network who can request a TFTP file may cause a later client to receive previously cached data instead of the requested file. In PXE network-boot environments this can substitute attacker-chosen boot content for a victim machine.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 77% exploitable
Prevalence
High
dnsmasq ships widely across Linux distributions, appliances and routers
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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
Controlled
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
High

Priority Score

34
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +34
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_ceph_storage_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_7:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_enterprise_linux_9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openshift_container_platform_4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openstack_platform_13_(queens):*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:red_hat:red_hat_openstack_platform_18.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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Heap-based buffer overflow in dnsmasq's DHCPv6 implementation enables local attackers to execute arbitrary code with roo

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