CVE-2026-33489
This allows an unauthorized remote client to perform AXFR/IXFR for the subzone and retrieve its full zone contents.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.39%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
CoreDNS is a DNS server that chains plugins. In versions prior to 1.14.3, the transfer plugin can select the wrong ACL stanza when both a parent zone and a more-specific subzone are configured. The longestMatch() function in plugin/transfer/transfer.go uses a lexicographic string comparison instead of an actual longest-suffix match to select the winning zone. As a result, a permissive parent-zone transfer rule can override a restrictive subzone rule depending on zone name ordering (e.g., "example.org." > "a.example.org." lexicographically). This allows an unauthorized remote client to perform AXFR/IXFR for the subzone and retrieve its full zone contents. This issue has been fixed in version 1.14.3.
- CVSS 4.0
- 8.2 HIGHCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/M
- EPSS
- 0.39% probability · 32th percentile
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-863
- Affected
- coredns.io/coredns
- Source
- security-advisories@github.com
References
- https://github.com/coredns/coredns/releases/tag/v1.14.3Release Notes
- https://github.com/coredns/coredns/security/advisories/GHSA-h8mm-c463-wjq3Exploit, Vendor Advisory
- https://github.com/coredns/coredns/security/advisories/GHSA-h8mm-c463-wjq3Exploit, Vendor Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA. Refreshed daily.