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BindApplication · Isc

CVE-2012-1033

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-02-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The resolver in ISC BIND 9 through 9.8.1-P1 overwrites cached server names and TTL values in NS records during the processing of a response to an A record query, which allows remote attackers to trigger continued resolvability of revoked domain names via a "ghost domain names" attack.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The BIND 9 resolver (versions 9 through 9.8.1-P1) contains a cache manipulation flaw where it overwrites cached NS record server names and TTL values when processing A record query responses. This enables ghost domain name attacks where attackers can cause revoked or expired domains to remain resolvable by manipulating the resolver cache.

MitigationUpgrade BIND 9 to version 9.8.1-P2 or later to obtain the security patch that fixes the NS record cache handling.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
BindApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.0.1= 9.1= 9.1.1= 9.1.2= 9.1.3= 9.2= 9.2.0= 9.2.1= 9.2.2= 9.2.3= 9.2.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if BIND 9 is running
    Run 'named -v' or 'named -V' to display the BIND version, or check for the named process using 'ps aux | grep named'
    Affected if BIND 9 is running and the version falls within the affected range (versions 9.0 through 9.2.4, and potentially through 9.8.1-P1 based on the summary)
  2. Confirm the exact BIND version
    Run 'named -v' or check the package manager output (e.g., 'rpm -q bind' or 'dpkg -l bind')
    Affected if The version matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE (9.0, 9.0.1, 9.1, 9.1.1, 9.1.2, 9.1.3, 9.2, 9.2.0, 9.2.1, 9.2.2, 9.2.3, 9.2.4) or is between 9.0 and 9.8.1-P1 per the summary
  3. Verify if recursive queries are enabled
    Check the BIND configuration file (usually named.conf) for 'recursion yes;' or 'allow-recursion { ...; };' statements
    Affected if Recursion is enabled, as the vulnerability exploits the resolver cache during recursive query processing

You are affected if BIND 9 is running with a version between 9.0 and 9.8.1-P1 and recursive queries are enabled on your resolver.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade BIND 9 to version 9.8.1-P2 or later to obtain the security patch that fixes the NS record cache handling.

Fix this in Bind Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-1033 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data