DnsdistApplication · Powerdns

CVE-2026-33593

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.9.13 / 2.0.4 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
A client can trigger a divide by zero error leading to crash by sending a crafted DNSCrypt query.

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 · low confidence

A divide-by-zero error exists in the DNSCrypt server implementation where a malicious client can send a specially crafted query that causes the server to crash. The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated remote client to trigger the condition, resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUntil an official patch is available, implement input validation on DNSCrypt queries to reject malformed packets that could trigger the divide-by-zero condition, and consider rate limiting or IP-based restrictions on DNS traffic.

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
DnsdistApplication
Affected:>= 1.9.0, < 1.9.13>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.4

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 dnsdist is installed
    Run 'dnsdist --version' or check package manager for dnsdist installation
    Affected if dnsdist is not installed on the system
  2. Check the installed dnsdist version
    Execute 'dnsdist --version' and compare the output to the affected ranges: >= 1.9.0 and < 1.9.13, or >= 2.0.0 and < 2.0.4
    Affected if The installed version falls within either affected range (1.9.0-1.9.12 or 2.0.0-2.0.3)
  3. Verify if DNSCrypt listener is configured
    Examine dnsdist configuration files (typically /etc/dnsdist.conf or dnsdist.conf.d/) for 'addDNSCryptBind' or 'DNSCrypt' related directives
    Affected if DNSCrypt binding addresses are configured and the server is listening for DNSCrypt queries
  4. Confirm network exposure of DNSCrypt service
    Review firewall rules and dnsdist bind configuration to determine if the DNSCrypt listener is accessible from external networks
    Affected if The DNSCrypt service is reachable from unauthenticated remote clients

A system is affected only if it runs a vulnerable dnsdist version (1.9.0-1.9.12 or 2.0.0-2.0.3) with DNSCrypt feature enabled and accessible to remote clients.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.9.13 / 2.0.4 or later
Fixed in 1.9.132.0.4
Interim mitigation

Until an official patch is available, implement input validation on DNSCrypt queries to reject malformed packets that could trigger the divide-by-zero condition, and consider rate limiting or IP-based restrictions on DNS traffic.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

dnsdist 2.0.4 (or latest stable release)

  1. 1. Identify your current dnsdist version using 'dnsdist --version' or your package manager
  2. 2. For package-based installations: update your package repository and upgrade dnsdist (e.g., 'apt update && apt upgrade dnsdist' or 'yum update dnsdist')
  3. 3. For source-based installations: download dnsdist 1.9.13 or 2.0.4 (or later stable) from the official repository and rebuild
  4. 4. After upgrade, restart the dnsdist service
  5. 5. Verify the new version is running and DNSCrypt functionality works correctly
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or behavior changes between your current version and the target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Dnsdist Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2026-33593 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