---
id: "CVE-2026-123579"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123579"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-123579"]
title: "Hickory DNS: DNSSEC validation accepts forged wildcard answers for NODATA queries"
severity: "medium"
cvss: 6.3
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["dns-resolver", "dnssec", "hickory-dns", "package", "rust"]
not_affected_if: ["external-resolver", "no-hickory-dependency"]
published_at: "2026-11-08T02:16:51+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-08T02:21:12+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-08T02:25:03+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123579", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-08T02:21:12+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# Hickory DNS: DNSSEC validation accepts forged wildcard answers for NODATA queries

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123579 (this .md is for agents)

Hickory DNS's DNSSEC validation does not tell apart NODATA responses from wildcard-expanded positive responses. An attacker can combine an NSEC3 record with a signed wildcard record to produce a bogus positive answer that validation accepts.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Check the version of hickory-net or hickory-proto in your dependency tree, for example with `cargo tree -i hickory-net` or `cargo tree -i hickory-proto`
- Look for hickory-net `0.26.0-beta.1` or any version below `0.26.2`, and hickory-proto through `0.26.0-alpha.1`

## Fix

- hickory-net: upgrade to `0.26.2` or later (fixed version stated in the sources for this CVE)
- hickory-proto: fixed version not stated in the sources

## Timeline

- 2026-11-08T02:21:12+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123579

## Documents

- [advisory] Vendor advisory: github.com https://github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/security/advisories/GHSA-vrv5-968r-5ggm
- [advisory] Third-party advisory: www.vulncheck.com https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hickory-dns-0.26.0-beta.1-before-0.26.2-dnssec-validation-bypass-via-wildcard-expansion

## From the sources

DNSSEC validation in Hickory DNS hickory-net 0.26.0-beta.1 before 0.26.2 and hickory-proto through 0.26.0-alpha.1 does not distinguish NODATA responses from wildcard-expanded positive responses. For a query that should return NODATA in a zone with wildcard records, an attacker can combine an NSEC3 record matching the query name with a signed wildcard record into a bogus positive response that validation accepts.

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