CVE-2026-44621

Libunbound applications configured with 'unwanted-reply-threshold' could eventually be abruptly terminated

MEDIUM
5.9
CVSS Score
Published: July 22, 2026 at 01:06 PM UTC
Updated: October 24, 2026 at 01:10 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorUnbound

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Severity
MEDIUM5.9
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

With NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including version 1.25.1, applications using libunbound and configured with 'unwanted-reply-threshold', could eventually be abruptly terminated if the threshold is reached and libunbound needs to call 'libworker_alloc_cleanup' since the function is absent from the function call allow list. When an application using libunbound sets 'unwanted-reply-threshold' to any non-zero value and the iterator queries an authoritative that replies with enough wrong-transaction-ID UDP datagrams to cross the threshold, the 'libworker_alloc_cleanup' will eventually be called. Since the function is absent from the function call allow list, this leads to a fatal exit of libunbound and eventual termination of the embedding application.Unbound itself is not affected since its relevant function 'worker_alloc_cleanup' is registed in the allow list and proceeds to perform the documented cache flush.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 1.25.2
Affected range stops below 1.25.2, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (1)

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

5.9MEDIUMNLnet Labs
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-754

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