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CVE-2016-7072

An issue has been found in PowerDNS Authoritative Server before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2 allowing a...

5.3 MediumFix available

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

6.15%Up 5.0 points since Feb 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

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 MediumCVSS: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 MediumCVSS: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 HighCVSS: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 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV: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 HighCVSS: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 HighCVSS: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 MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CVSS 3.0
7.5 HighCVSS: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

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
pdns
Debian:12
before 4.0.2-1
4.0.2-1
pdns
Debian:13
before 4.0.2-1
4.0.2-1
pdns
Debian:14
before 4.0.2-1
4.0.2-1
pdns
Debian: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
pdns
Debian: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
pdns
Mageia:5
before 3.3.3-1.3.mga5
3.3.3-1.3.mga5
pdns
Ubuntu: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
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4.0.0~alpha1-14.0.0~alpha2-24.0.0~alpha2-34.0.0~alpha2-3build14.0.0~alpha2-3ubuntu0.1~esm1
None known
pdns
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 4.5.1-1.5
4.5.1-1.5

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliases, productsEUVD
first indexedCVE 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

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