CVE-2016-5427
HighPowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 does not properly handle a .
Published Sep 21, 2016 · Updated Aug 7, 2026 · Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2016-5427, UBUNTU-CVE-2016-5427
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2016-5427 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.5 v3) affecting Authoritative (Powerdns), pdns (debian), pdns-backend-ldap (suse) and 5 more products.
- It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog. No public exploit code is known.
- EPSS estimates a 63% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- Fixed versions are available, including pdns 3.1-4.1+deb7u2, pdns 3.4.1-4+deb8u6, pdns 3.4.6-6.2.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
CVSS v3
7.5
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
63%
Higher than 99.1% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
No known
Not in a known-exploited catalog
Public exploit code
None known
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Description
PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 does not properly handle a . (dot) inside labels, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (backend CPU consumption) via a crafted DNS query.
Affected Products
19 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| AuthoritativePowerdns | See advisory | 3.4.9 |
| pdnsdebian | See advisory | 4.0.0~alpha1-1 |
| pdns-backend-ldapsuse | See advisory | 3.4.6-6.2 |
| pdns-backend-luasuse | See advisory | 3.4.6-6.2 |
| pdns-backend-mydnssuse | See advisory | 3.4.6-6.2 |
Patched Releases
pdns
3.1-4.1+deb7u2, 3.4.1-4+deb8u6, 3.4.6-6.2, 4.0.0~alpha1-1
pdns-backend-ldap
3.4.6-6.2
pdns-backend-lua
3.4.6-6.2
pdns-backend-mydns
3.4.6-6.2
pdns-backend-mysql
3.4.6-6.2
pdns-backend-postgresql
3.4.6-6.2
pdns-backend-sqlite3
3.4.6-6.2
Authoritative
3.4.9
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Sep 21, 2016
Last updated
Aug 7, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-399
References
- advisoryhttps://doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-01/
- advisoryhttps://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-5427
- advisoryhttps://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-5427
- advisoryhttps://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-5427
- otherhttps://github.com/PowerDNS/pdns/commit/881b5b03a590198d03008e4200dd00cc537712f3
FAQ
Common Questions.
PowerDNS (aka pdns) Authoritative Server before 3.4.10 does not properly handle a .
Affected: Authoritative (Powerdns); pdns (debian); pdns-backend-ldap (suse), among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
No public exploit code is known.
Fixed versions are available, including pdns 3.1-4.1+deb7u2, pdns 3.4.1-4+deb8u6, pdns 3.4.6-6.2.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
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