Service interruption via retained DNS record classes
Published Aug 27, 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026
Memory exhaustion in Ruby Resolv 0.3.1 and earlier and 0.4.0 through 0.7.1 allows remote attackers to stop services via DNS responses. Resource.get_class and Generic.create create and permanently register a class for every unknown record type, class pair, or SvcParamKey. Exploitation requires a Resolv decoding path to receive attacker-controlled DNS responses; repeated replies retain memory until the process stops.
Summary
What happened
Memory exhaustion in Ruby Resolv 0.3.1 and earlier and 0.4.0 through 0.7.1 allows remote attackers to stop services via DNS responses. Resource.get_class and Generic.create create and permanently register a class for every unknown record type, class pair, or SvcParamKey. Exploitation requires a Resolv decoding path to receive attacker-controlled DNS responses; repeated replies retain memory until the process stops.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-80212
- Published
- Aug 27, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 27, 2026
- Vendor
- libwww-perl
- Product
- Resolv
- Classifications
- CWE-770, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 27, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 27, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <0.3.2
- Affected versionversion=0.4.0 <0.7.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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