Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity in c-ares - #VU137034

 

Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity in c-ares - #VU137034

Published: July 7, 2026


Vulnerability identifier: #VU137034
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSS v4: 8.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: N/A
CWE-ID: CWE-407
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability: No public exploit available

Vulnerability details

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause a denial of service.

The vulnerability exists due to inefficient algorithmic complexity in ares_dns_name_parse() when parsing crafted DNS responses with unbounded compression pointer chains. A remote attacker can send a specially crafted DNS response to cause a denial of service.

Because c-ares runs on a single-threaded event loop, parsing a crafted response can stall all resolution for the duration.


Affected software

c-ares

Remediation

Install security update from vendor's website.

c-ares - update to 1.34.7

External References

Related Security Bulletins