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High

Security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVCVE: CVE-2026-40622

NLnet Labs Unbound 1.16.2 up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability of the 'ghost domain names' family of attacks that could extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value. Similar to other 'ghost domain names' attacks, an adversary needs to control a (ghost) zone and be able to query a vulnerable Unbound. A single client NS query can cause Unbound to overwrite the cached expired parent-side referral NS rrset with the child-side apex NS rrset and essentially extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value ('cache-max-ttl'). In configurations where 'harden-referral-path: yes' is used (non-default configuration), no client NS query is required since Unbound implicitly performs that query. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix that does not allow extension of TTLs for (parent) NS records regardless of their trust.

Products
Not specified
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
Not specified
CVEs
CVE-2026-40622
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
1 Nov 2026, 09:29 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

CVE-2026-40622

core-osv · Original source

Published 20 May 2026, 10:16 UTC

NLnet Labs Unbound 1.16.2 up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability of the 'ghost domain names' family of attacks that could extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value. Similar to other 'ghost domain names' attacks, an adversary needs to control a (ghost) zone and be able to query a vulnerable Unbound. A single client NS query can cause Unbound to overwrite the cached expired parent-side referral NS rrset with the child-side apex NS rrset and essentially extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value ('cache-max-ttl'). In configurations where 'harden-referral-path: yes' is used (non-default configuration), no client NS query is required since Unbound implicitly performs that query. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix that does not allow extension of TTLs for (parent) NS records regardless of their trust.

osv:CVE-2026-40622
Complete source record
{
  "id": "306c033555b39dd081545f2022fa9ebdef152aa299c97178b2872af07c65864b",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-40622",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "CVE-2026-40622",
    "summary": "NLnet Labs Unbound 1.16.2 up to and including version 1.25.0 has a vulnerability of the 'ghost domain names' family of attacks that could extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value. Similar to other 'ghost domain names' attacks, an adversary needs to control a (ghost) zone and be able to query a vulnerable Unbound. A single client NS query can cause Unbound to overwrite the cached expired parent-side referral NS rrset with the child-side apex NS rrset and essentially extend the ghost domain window by up to one cached TTL configured value ('cache-max-ttl'). In configurations where 'harden-referral-path: yes' is used (non-default configuration), no client NS query is required since Unbound implicitly performs that query. Unbound 1.25.1 contains a patch with a fix that does not allow extension of TTLs for (parent) NS records regardless of their trust.",
    "evidence": "osv:CVE-2026-40622",
    "products": [],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "CVE-2026-40622",
      "aliases": [
        "CVE-2026-40622"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "repo": "https://github.com/nlnetlabs/unbound",
              "type": "GIT",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "cbed768b8ff9bfcf11089a5f1699b7e5707f1ea5"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "75b6dba593d4fff000434cd64807c6ebd50bd244"
                }
              ],
              "database_specific": {
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                    "cpe": "cpe:2.3:a:nlnetlabs:unbound:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
                    "range": [
                      {
                        "introduced": "1.16.2"
                      },
                      {
                        "fixed": "1.25.1"
                      }
                    ],
                    "source": "CPE_RANGE"
                  }
                ]
              }
            }
          ],
          "versions": [
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            "release-1.24.0",
            "release-1.24.0rc1",
            "release-1.23.0rc1",
            "release-1.22.0",
            "release-1.22.0rc1",
            "release-1.21.0",
            "release-1.21.0rc1",
            "release-1.20.0rc1",
            "release-1.20.0",
            "release-1.19.3rc1",
            "release-1.19.0rc1",
            "release-1.19.0",
            "release-1.18.0",
            "release-1.18.0rc1",
            "release-1.16.2"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2026-40622.json",
            "vanir_signatures": [
              {
                "id": "CVE-2026-40622-7cb89fac",
                "digest": {
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                "source": "https://github.com/nlnetlabs/unbound/commit/75b6dba593d4fff000434cd64807c6ebd50bd244",
                "target": {
                  "file": "services/rpz.c",
                  "function": "rpz_callback_from_iterator_module"
                },
                "deprecated": false,
                "signature_type": "Function",
                "signature_version": "v1"
              },
              {
                "id": "CVE-2026-40622-a3b17d2e",
                "digest": {
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                "source": "https://github.com/nlnetlabs/unbound/commit/75b6dba593d4fff000434cd64807c6ebd50bd244",
                "target": {
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                "deprecated": false,
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            "vanir_signatures_modified": "2026-10-24T14:55:06Z"
          }
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      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-24T14:55:06.987014692Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "references": [
        "https://www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-40622.txt"
      ],
      "provider_metadata": {}
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    "related_cves": [
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        "value": "CVE-2026-40622",
        "evidence": "/id"
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    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 443874,
  "published_at": "2026-05-20T10:16:26.85+00:00"
}