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CVE-2020-25686 is a DNS cache-poisoning weakness in dnsmasq before version 2.83. When dnsmasq receives repeated DNS queries for the same name, it does not determine whether an equivalent request is already pending before forwarding another request upstream. An attacker can exploit the resulting concurrent-query behavior to conduct a DNS birthday attack, increasing the number of opportunities to race forged DNS responses against legitimate upstream replies. The weakness can be chained with other DNSpooq cache-poisoning vulnerabilities, including CVE-2020-25684, to further reduce attack complexity.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository is a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for DNS cache poisoning vulnerabilities in dnsmasq (CVE-2020-25686, CVE-2020-25684, CVE-2020-25685), collectively known as DNSpooq. The exploit is implemented in Python (attacker/exploit.py) and is designed to run in a Dockerized environment with three containers: attacker, forwarder (dnsmasq), and cache. The exploit script sends a large number of spoofed DNS responses to the forwarder, attempting to brute-force the correct transaction ID and source port to poison the DNS cache. If successful, queries for a target domain (e.g., google.com) will resolve to an attacker-controlled IP (e.g., 169.254.169.254). The repository includes Dockerfiles for each component, a docker-compose.yml for orchestration, and a simple DNS sniffer (cache/sniff.py) to monitor DNS queries. The exploit demonstrates the practical impact of weak randomization in DNS transaction IDs and source ports in vulnerable dnsmasq versions.
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4 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A network-reachable vulnerability with high attack complexity that can cause limited integrity impact, according to the supplied CVSS v3 vector. The referenced Unity Linux security-check plugin indicates a patch was published.
A DNS cache-poisoning vulnerability in the DNSpooq set that affects ASUS routers according to this advisory.
A DNSpooq cache poisoning-related vulnerability in dnsmasq that contributes to DNS cache poisoning when chained with the related flaws.
Dnsmasq does not check for existing pending requests for the same name, enabling attackers to perform a Birthday Attack and potentially poison the DNS cache.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
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Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.