glibc 2.2+ RDATA len validate flaw in deprec DNS funcs
CVE-2026-6238 Published on April 28, 2026
Buffer overread in ns_printrrf with corrupted RDATA field
The deprecated functions ns_printrrf, ns_printrr and fp_nquery in the GNU C Library version 2.2 and newer fail to validate the RDATA content against the RDATA length in a DNS response when processing LOC, CERT, TKEY or TSIG records, which may allow an attacker to craft a DNS response, causing a target application to crash or read uninitialized memory.
These functions are for application debugging only and hence not in the path of code executed by the DNS resolver. Further, they have been deprecated since version 2.34 and should not be used by any new applications. Applications should consider porting away from these interfaces since they may be removed in future versions.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-6238 is exploitable with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a small impact on confidentiality, a small impact on integrity, and a small impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Buffer Over-read
The software reads from a buffer using buffer access mechanisms such as indexes or pointers that reference memory locations after the targeted buffer. This typically occurs when the pointer or its index is incremented to a position beyond the bounds of the buffer or when pointer arithmetic results in a position outside of the valid memory location to name a few. This may result in exposure of sensitive information or possibly a crash.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-6238
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Affected Versions
The GNU C Library glibc:- Version 2.2, <= 0 is affected.