# CVE-2026-42923: Degradation of service with unbounded NSEC3 hash calculations

CVE-2026-42923 is fixed in 14 products on 1 platform, first by libunbound8 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1, released May 19, 2026. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-42923
- Priority: Routine
- CVSS: 5.3 (Moderate)
- EPSS: 0.0034
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: May 19, 2026
- Weakness: Inefficient Algorithmic Complexity
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-42923

## Description

NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability in the DNSSEC validator where the code path to consult the negative cache for DS records does not take into account the limit on NSEC3 hash calculations introduced in 1.19.1. This leads to degradation of service during the attack. An adversary that controls a DNSSEC signed zone can exploit this by signing NSEC3 records with acceptably high iterations for child delegations and querying a vulnerable Unbound. Unbound will keep performing the allowed hash calculations on the NSEC3 records and will not limit the work by the mitigation introduced in 1.19.1. As a side effect, a global lock for the negative cache will be held for the duration of the hashing, blocking other threads that need to consult the negative cache. Coordinated attacks could raise the vulnerability to denial of service. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix to bound the vulnerable code path with the existing limit for NSEC3 hash calculations.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | libunbound8 Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15 | [libunbound8 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-libunbound8-1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | libunbound8 Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8 | [libunbound8 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-libunbound8-1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | libunbound8 Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) | 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3 | [libunbound8 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-questing-libunbound8-1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | libunbound8 Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 | [libunbound8 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-libunbound8-1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1.md) | May 19, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15 | [python3-unbound 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-python3-unbound-1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8 | [python3-unbound 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-python3-unbound-1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) | 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3 | [python3-unbound 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-questing-python3-unbound-1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 | [python3-unbound 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-python3-unbound-1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1.md) | May 19, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | python3-unbound-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Debian 13.5 (trixie) | 1.22.0-2+deb13u3 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-42923](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-42923.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Debian 14 | 1.25.1-1 | [DEBIAN-CVE-2026-42923](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/debian-cve-2026-42923.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15 | [unbound 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-unbound-1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8 | [unbound 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-unbound-1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) | 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3 | [unbound 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-questing-unbound-1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 | [unbound 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-unbound-1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1.md) | May 19, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound opensuse-leap 16.0 | 1.24.1-160000.2.1 | [OPENSUSE-SU-2026:21083-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/opensuse-su-2026-21083-1.md) | Jun 18, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound sles 16.0 | 1.24.1-160000.2.1 | [SUSE-SU-2026:22160-1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/suse-su-2026-22160-1.md) | Jun 18, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15 | [unbound-anchor 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-unbound-anchor-1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8 | [unbound-anchor 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-unbound-anchor-1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) | 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3 | [unbound-anchor 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-questing-unbound-anchor-1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 | [unbound-anchor 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-unbound-anchor-1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1.md) | May 19, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-anchor-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-debugsource amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-devel amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-host Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS (jammy) | 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15 | [unbound-host 1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-jammy-unbound-host-1.13.1-1ubuntu5.15.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-host Ubuntu 24.04.5 LTS (noble) | 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8 | [unbound-host 1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-noble-unbound-host-1.19.2-1ubuntu3.8.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-host Ubuntu 25.10 (questing) | 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3 | [unbound-host 1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-questing-unbound-host-1.22.0-2ubuntu2.3.md) | May 27, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-host Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS (resolute) | 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1 | [unbound-host 1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-resolute-unbound-host-1.24.2-1ubuntu2.1.md) | May 19, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-libs amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-libs-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-utils amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |
| Linux | unbound-utils-debuginfo amzn 2023 | 1.17.1-1.amzn2023.0.12 | [ALAS2023-2026-1756](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/alas2023-2026-1756.md) | May 25, 2026 |

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