---
id: "CVE-2026-123600"
page: "https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123600"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-123600"]
title: "Hickory DNS: DNSSEC check accepts forged denial-of-record responses for zone apex"
severity: "medium"
cvss: 6.3
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "package"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["dns", "dnssec", "hickory-dns", "package", "rust"]
not_affected_if: ["no-dnssec-validation", "other-resolver"]
published_at: "2026-11-08T02:16:54+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-11-08T02:21:14+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-11-08T02:24:53+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123600", "first_seen_at": "2026-11-08T02:21:14+00:00"}]
exploit_sources: []
---

# Hickory DNS: DNSSEC check accepts forged denial-of-record responses for zone apex

Link for people: https://infrastack.ai/live/CVE-2026-123600 (this .md is for agents)

Hickory DNS's DNSSEC validator wrongly marks some zone-apex denial responses as authenticated without matching NSEC3 proof. An on-path attacker or malicious authoritative server can replay a valid non-apex NSEC3 record to make a record type appear nonexistent, authenticated, for the negative-cache TTL.

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

## How to check

- Check the `hickory-proto` version in your `Cargo.lock` for `0.25.0-alpha.3` through `0.25.2`
- Check the `hickory-net` version in your `Cargo.lock` for `0.26.0-alpha.1` before `0.26.2`
- Confirm whether your resolver uses the DNSSEC validation path (`DnssecDnsHandle`)

## Fix

- `hickory-net`: move to `0.26.2` or later
- `hickory-proto`: the sources give no fixed version for the 0.25 line; unknown

## Timeline

- 2026-11-08T02:21:14+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-123600

## Documents

- [advisory] Vendor advisory: github.com https://github.com/hickory-dns/hickory-dns/security/advisories/GHSA-3jvh-8vj5-65rq
- [advisory] Third-party advisory: www.vulncheck.com https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hickory-dns-hickory-proto-0.25.0-alpha.3-through-0.25.2-nsec3-apex-nodata-validation-bypass

## From the sources

Hickory DNS hickory-proto 0.25.0-alpha.3 through 0.25.2 and hickory-net 0.26.0-alpha.1 before 0.26.2 contain a DNSSEC validation flaw in DnssecDnsHandle that accepts NSEC3-signed NODATA responses for zone-apex queries as secure without an NSEC3 record matching the hashed QNAME. On-path attackers or malicious authoritative servers can replay a validly signed non-apex NSEC3 with the zone's signed SOA to serve an authenticated (AD=1) denial of any apex RRtype for the negative-cache TTL.

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