CVE-2016-7072
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a...
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
5.3
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
CVE-2016-7072- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-7952
5.3
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
EUVD-2016-7952- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-64pc-8jh2-hf6v
7.5
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a...
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
GHSA-64pc-8jh2-hf6v- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
5.3
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
CVE-2016-7072- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-20, CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
CVE-2016-7072- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-7072
7.5
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-7072- CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-7072
5.3
An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of TCP connections to the web server. If the web server runs out of file descriptors, it triggers an exception and terminates the whole PowerDNS process. While it's more complicated for an unauthorized attacker to make the web server run out of file descriptors since its connection will be closed just after being accepted, it might still be possible.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-7072- CVSS 3.0
- 5.3 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - CVSS 3.0
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2017-0033 No score
Updated pdns packages fix security vulnerabilities
Mathieu Lafon discovered that pdns does not properly validate records in zones. An authorized user can take advantage of this flaw to crash server by inserting a specially crafted record in a zone under their control and then sending a DNS query for that record (CVE-2016-2120).
Florian Heinz and Martin Kluge reported that pdns parses all records present in a query regardless of whether they are needed or even legitimate, allowing a remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause an abnormal CPU usage load on the pdns server, resulting in a partial denial of service if the system becomes overloaded (CVE-2016-7068).
Mongo discovered that the webserver in pdns is susceptible to a denial-of-service vulnerability. A remote, unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service by opening a large number of f TCP connections to the web server (CVE-2016-7072).
Mongo discovered that pdns does not sufficiently validate TSIG signatures, allowing an attacker in position of man-in-the-middle to alter the content of an AXFR (CVE-2016-7073, CVE-2016-7074).
- Record
MGASA-2017-0033- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:11156-1 No score
pdns-4.5.1-1.5 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the pdns-4.5.1-1.5 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:11156-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
pdnsDebian:12 |
before 4.0.2-1 | 4.0.2-1 |
pdnsDebian:13 |
before 4.0.2-1 | 4.0.2-1 |
pdnsDebian:14 |
before 4.0.2-1 | 4.0.2-1 |
pdnsDebian:7 |
before 3.1-4.1+deb7u3, plus listed versions 3.1-43.1-4.13.1-4.1+deb7u13.1-4.1+deb7u2 |
3.1-4.1+deb7u3 |
pdnsDebian:8 |
before 3.4.1-4+deb8u7, plus listed versions 3.4.1-43.4.1-4+deb8u13.4.1-4+deb8u1~bpo70+13.4.1-4+deb8u23.4.1-4+deb8u33.4.1-4+deb8u43.4.1-4+deb8u53.4.1-4+deb8u6 |
3.4.1-4+deb8u7 |
pdnsMageia:5 |
before 3.3.3-1.3.mga5 | 3.3.3-1.3.mga5 |
pdnsUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
All versions, plus listed versions 3.4.5-1build23.4.6-23.4.6-33.4.7-13.4.7-2 Show 5 moreShow less4.0.0~alpha1-14.0.0~alpha2-24.0.0~alpha2-34.0.0~alpha2-3build14.0.0~alpha2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
None known |
pdnsopenSUSE:Tumbleweed |
before 4.5.1-1.5 | 4.5.1-1.5 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, products | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2016-7072 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.3) in Powerdns Authoritative, published January 13, 2017. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 6.15%, the 93rd percentile. Fixed in pdns 4.0.2-1.
References
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-7072
debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3764
doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-03
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-7072
github.com/advisories/GHSA-64pc-8jh2-hf6v
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-7072
Show 23 moreShow less
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2017-0033.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=20126
doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-02
doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-04
doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-05
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2016-7072
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-7072
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2006-2069
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2008-3337
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-2120
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7068
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7072
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-7073
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2017-15091
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-1046
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-10851
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-14626
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-10162
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-10163
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-10203
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-3871
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2020-17482
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-36754