# CVE-2026-123581: Hickory DNS through 0.26.0-alpha.1 DNSSEC Validation Bypass via Unrelated RRset

Status: published. Published: 2026-11-08. Updated: 2026-11-08.

Hickory DNS hickory-proto through 0.26.0-alpha.1 and hickory-net 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 contain a DNSSEC validation flaw that accepts a response as a positive answer when any valid RRset appears in the answer section, without checking that the RRset is responsive to the query. Attackers can supply signed but unrelated RRsets so that responses lacking matching records are validated as positive answers instead of as no-data responses.

## Remediation

No remediation reported in collected sources

## Affected products and versions

- hickory-dns / hickory-dns (hickory-proto): ≥ 0; ≤ 0.26.0-alpha.1 (affected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck
- hickory-dns / hickory-dns (hickory-net): ≥ 0.26.0-beta.1; < 0.26.2 (affected, semver); 0.26.2 (unaffected, semver). Source: CNA: VulnCheck

## Severity and prioritization

- CVSS 4.0: 6.9 (medium); CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CVSS 3.1: 5.3 (medium); CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N; source: CNA: VulnCheck

- CISA KEV: No listing in collected sources

- EPSS: Not available

- SSVC: Not available

- Weaknesses: CWE-345

## Exploit evidence

No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.

## References

- https://github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/security/advisories/GHSA-929p-gjf6-5hqj (CNA: VulnCheck; vendor-advisory)

- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hickory-dns-through-0.26.0-alpha.1-dnssec-validation-bypass-via-unrelated-rrset (CNA: VulnCheck; third-party-advisory)

## Provenance

- CNA: VulnCheck: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-123581; retrieved 2026-11-08; source updated 2026-11-08

Revision: b0e3f7266ef8b9738558164b74acaa4de7e8225c2b53cae141fe6d5d42249e38

Canonical: https://y2.dev/cve/CVE-2026-123581

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