CVE-2023-2911
CWE-787Published: June 21, 2023· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
If the `recursive-clients` quota is reached on a BIND 9 resolver configured with both `stale-answer-enable yes;` and `stale-answer-client-timeout 0;`, a sequence of serve-stale-related lookups could cause `named` to loop and terminate unexpectedly due to a stack overflow.
This issue affects BIND 9 versions 9.16.33 through 9.16.41, 9.18.7 through 9.18.15, 9.16.33-S1 through 9.16.41-S1, and 9.18.11-S1 through 9.18.15-S1.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2023-2911 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (12)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-787)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2023-2911 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts