CVE-2026-44621 — Libunbound applications configured with 'unwanted-reply-threshold' could eventually be abruptly terminated
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…
Published: 2026-07-22 · CVSS: 5.9 · CVSS 3.1
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.
Source: CVE Program · Revision 8b16575c39f1e1810c5e863010da073d2d3285e7