CVE-2017-3138

named exits with a REQUIRE assertion failure if it receives a null command string on its control channel

Description

named contains a feature which allows operators to issue commands to a running server by communicating with the server process over a control channel, using a utility program such as rndc. A regression introduced in a recent feature change has created a situation under which some versions of named can be caused to exit with a REQUIRE assertion failure if they are sent a null command string. Affects BIND 9.9.9->9.9.9-P7, 9.9.10b1->9.9.10rc2, 9.10.4->9.10.4-P7, 9.10.5b1->9.10.5rc2, 9.11.0->9.11.0-P4, 9.11.1b1->9.11.1rc2, 9.9.9-S1->9.9.9-S9.

Remediation

Solution:

  • Upgrade to the patched release most closely related to your current version of BIND. These can all be downloaded from http://www.isc.org/downloads. BIND 9 version 9.9.9-P8 BIND 9 version 9.10.4-P8 BIND 9 version 9.11.0-P5 BIND Supported Preview Edition is a special feature preview branch of BIND provided to eligible ISC support customers. BIND 9 version 9.9.9-S10 New maintenance releases of BIND are also scheduled which contain the fix for this vulnerability. In addition to the security releases listed above, fixes for this vulnerability are also included in these release candidate versions: BIND 9 version 9.9.10rc3 BIND 9 version 9.10.5rc3 BIND 9 version 9.11.1rc3

Workaround:

  • None. However, in a properly configured server, access to the control channel should already be limited by either network ACLs, TSIG keys, or both.

Category

6.5
CVSS
Severity: Medium
CVSS 3.0 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 18.55% Top 10%
Vendor Advisory gentoo.org Vendor Advisory debian.org Vendor Advisory isc.org
Affected: ISC BIND 9
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Link Tags
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1038260 third party advisory vdb entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97657 third party advisory vdb entry
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201708-01 third party advisory vendor advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180802-0002/ third party advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3854 third party advisory vendor advisory
https://kb.isc.org/docs/aa-01471 vendor advisory

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2017-3138?
CVE-2017-3138 has been scored as a medium severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2017-3138?
To fix CVE-2017-3138: Upgrade to the patched release most closely related to your current version of BIND. These can all be downloaded from http://www.isc.org/downloads. BIND 9 version 9.9.9-P8 BIND 9 version 9.10.4-P8 BIND 9 version 9.11.0-P5 BIND Supported Preview Edition is a special feature preview branch of BIND provided to eligible ISC support customers. BIND 9 version 9.9.9-S10 New maintenance releases of BIND are also scheduled which contain the fix for this vulnerability. In addition to the security releases listed above, fixes for this vulnerability are also included in these release candidate versions: BIND 9 version 9.9.10rc3 BIND 9 version 9.10.5rc3 BIND 9 version 9.11.1rc3
Is CVE-2017-3138 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2017-3138 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~19% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2017-3138?
CVE-2017-3138 affects ISC BIND 9.
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