CVE-2026-5172: dnsmasq Out-of-bounds Read
CVSS: 7.3v3.1HighAwaiting analysis
AliasesALPINE-CVE-2026-5172UBUNTU-CVE-2026-5172DEBIAN-CVE-2026-5172CGA-45f5-m9c6-7x9wCGA-6x3q-xpqp-rhr9CGA-mjj7-m5qc-5f84CGA-qr94-72v9-hwxq
Published 11-05-2026Last modified 01-09-2026
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2026-5172 is a high (CVSS 7.3) Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in dnsmasq. EPSS estimates a 0.69% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 51.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
CVSS score
7.3/10
010
High · v3.1 (CVE.org)EPSS score
0.69%
0%100%
Low · -2.00 pp in 30 daysKEVNot listedIn no KEV catalog
RansomwareNone recordedNo known use recorded
Public exploits0No public exploits recorded
Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 4 · Related 4Timeline
- 11-05-2026PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 01-09-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
A buffer overflow in dnsmasq’s extract_addresses() function allows an attacker to trigger a heap out-of-bounds read and crash by exploiting a malformed DNS response, enabling extract_name() to advance the pointer past the record’s end.
CVSS metrics
7 scores · 7 sources · 1 versionHigh 7.3Preferred score · CVE.org (CNA)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:LSources7 sources · 7.3–7.5
- OSV · AlpineEcosystem advisory · calculated7.3HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated7.5HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HDiffers
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated7.3HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
- OSV · WolfiEcosystem advisory · calculated7.3HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
- OSV · ChainguardEcosystem advisory · calculated7.3HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
- NVDNIST7.3HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
EPSS trend
Probability
0.69%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
52%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
-2.00 pp
From 2.68% on 19-09-2026
19-09-202619-10-2026
EPSS score0.69%
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogsNot in any of the 3 tracked catalogs.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root causeAffected systems
Chainguard2 products
- dnsmasq< 2.93-r0
- dnsmasq-doc< 2.93-r0
Wolfi2 products
- dnsmasq< 2.93-r0
- dnsmasq-doc< 2.93-r0
Alpine1 product
- dnsmasq< 2.91-r1 | < 2.92_p2-r0
Debian1 product
- dnsmasq< 2.90-4~deb12u2 | < 2.91-1+deb13u1 | < 2.92-5
Dnsmasq1 product
- dnsmasq< 2.92rel2
Ubuntu1 product
- dnsmasq< 2.90-0ubuntu0.16.04.1+esm3 | < 2.90-0ubuntu0.18.04.1+esm3 | < 2.90-0ubuntu0.20.04.1+esm2 | < 2.90-0ubuntu0.22.04.3 | < 2.90-2ubuntu0.3 | < 2.91-1ubuntu0.2 | < 2.92-1ubuntu0.2
6 vendors · 8 products
