Out-of-bounds Read in Dnsmasq

CVE-2026-4891

A heap-based out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the DNSSEC validation of dnsmasq allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via a crafted DNS packet.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.3 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.008 (56.1th percentile), scored .

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 56th percentile — 56.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2026-4891: fell from 0.064 to 0.008.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.064 · newest: 0.008 · change: -0.056

Affected products

  • Dnsmasq — versions 0, 2.93, 2.92rel2

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-4891?
CVE-2026-4891 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Dnsmasq, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 5.3/10. Published 2026-05-11.
How severe is CVE-2026-4891?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.3 out of 10.