DNSSEC validation may accept broken authentication chains
cve-program · CVE-2025-25188
PublishedHickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
Read the publisher's advisoryeuvd · EUVD-2025-4078
PublishedHickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
Read the publisher's advisorynvd · CVE-2025-25188
PublishedHickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
Read the publisher's advisoryosv · GHSA-37wc-h8xc-5hc4
Published### Summary The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. ### Details `verify_dnskey_rrset()` will return `Ok(true)` if any record's public key matches a trust anchor. This results in `verify_rrset()` returning a `Secure` proof. This ultimately results in successfully verifying a response containing DNSKEY records. `verify_default_rrset()` looks up DNSKEY records by calling `handle.lookup()`, which takes the above code path. There's a comment following this that says "DNSKEYs were already validated by the inner query in the above lookup", but this is not the case. To fully verify the whole RRset of DNSKEYs, it would be necessary to check self-signatures by the trusted key over the other keys. Later in `verify_default_rrset()`, `verify_rrset_with_dnskey()` is called multiple times with different keys and signatures, and if any call succeeds, then its `Proof` is returned. Similarly, `verify_dnskey_rrset()` returns `Ok(false)` if any DNSKEY record is covered by a DS record. A comment says "If all the keys are valid, then we are secure", but this is only checking that one key is authenticated by a DS in the parent zone's delegation point. This time, after control flow returns to `verify_rrset()`, it will call `verify_default_rrset()`. The special handling for DNSKEYs in `verify_default_rrset()` will then call `verify_rrset_with_dnskey()` using each KSK DNSKEY record, and if one call succeeds, return its `Proof`. If there are multiple KSK DNSKEYs in the RRset, then this leads to another authentication break. We need to either pass the authenticated DNSKEYs from the DS covering check to the RRSIG validation, or we need to perform this RRSIG validation of the DNSKEY RRset inside `verify_dnskey_rrset()` and cut `verify_default_rrset()` out of DNSKEY RRset validation entirely. ### PoC The proof of concepts have been integrated into the conformance test suite, as `resolver::dnssec::scenarios::bogus::bogus_zone_plus_trust_anchor_dnskey` and `resolver::dnssec::scenarios::bogus::bogus_zone_plus_ds_covered_dnskey`. ### Impact This impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver.
Read the publisher's advisoryAffected versions, risk and source history
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cve-program · CVE-2025-25188
PublishedDNSSEC validation may accept broken authentication chains
Hickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
- Source published
- 10 Feb 2025 17:35:25 UTC
- Source modified
- 12 Feb 2025 15:47:59 UTC
- Saved here
- 23 Oct 2026 15:48:27 UTC
- Source terms
- CVE Program Terms of Use
Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON
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CVSS 4.0 · 5.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
euvd · EUVD-2025-4078
PublishedHickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, …
Hickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
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datePublished: Feb 10, 2025, 5:35:25 PM
dateUpdated: Feb 12, 2025, 3:47:59 PM
1 related source bulletins · separate from aliases
msrc_CVE-2025-25188: DNSSEC validation may accept broken authentication chains
CVE-2025-25188
- Source published
- Feb 10, 2025, 5:35:25 PM (timezone not stated)
- Source modified
- Feb 12, 2025, 3:47:59 PM (timezone not stated)
- Saved here
- 15 Nov 2026 11:08:19 UTC
- Source terms
- ENISA EUVD · source terms and attribution apply
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EUVD CVSS 4.0 · 5.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P
nvd · CVE-2025-25188
PublishedHickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, …
Hickory DNS is a Rust based DNS client, server, and resolver. A vulnerability present starting in version 0.8.0 and prior to versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver. The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. Versions 0.24.3 and 0.25.0-alpha.5 fix the issue.
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NVD analysis and CPE criteria are source context, not proof that a package or your environment is affected. Complete affected data, logical configurations and SSVC are retained in the original JSON.
Source analysis status: Deferred
Weakness classifications: CWE-345
Original publisher date fields
published: 2025-02-10T18:15:35.827
lastModified: 2026-06-17T09:00:26.990
- Source published
- 10 Feb 2025 18:15:35 UTC
- Source modified
- 17 Jun 2026 09:00:26 UTC
- Saved here
- 25 Oct 2026 01:17:35 UTC
- Source terms
- NIST NVD usage terms; underlying source attribution retained
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CVSS 4.0 · [email protected] · Secondary · 5.7 CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
osv · GHSA-37wc-h8xc-5hc4
PublishedHickory DNS's DNSSEC validation may accept broken authentication chains
### Summary The DNSSEC validation routines treat entire RRsets of DNSKEY records as trusted once they have established trust in only one of the DNSKEYs. As a result, if a zone includes a DNSKEY with a public key that matches a configured trust anchor, all keys in that zone will be trusted to authenticate other records in the zone. There is a second variant of this vulnerability involving DS records, where an authenticated DS record covering one DNSKEY leads to trust in signatures made by an unrelated DNSKEY in the same zone. ### Details `verify_dnskey_rrset()` will return `Ok(true)` if any record's public key matches a trust anchor. This results in `verify_rrset()` returning a `Secure` proof. This ultimately results in successfully verifying a response containing DNSKEY records. `verify_default_rrset()` looks up DNSKEY records by calling `handle.lookup()`, which takes the above code path. There's a comment following this that says "DNSKEYs were already validated by the inner query in the above lookup", but this is not the case. To fully verify the whole RRset of DNSKEYs, it would be necessary to check self-signatures by the trusted key over the other keys. Later in `verify_default_rrset()`, `verify_rrset_with_dnskey()` is called multiple times with different keys and signatures, and if any call succeeds, then its `Proof` is returned. Similarly, `verify_dnskey_rrset()` returns `Ok(false)` if any DNSKEY record is covered by a DS record. A comment says "If all the keys are valid, then we are secure", but this is only checking that one key is authenticated by a DS in the parent zone's delegation point. This time, after control flow returns to `verify_rrset()`, it will call `verify_default_rrset()`. The special handling for DNSKEYs in `verify_default_rrset()` will then call `verify_rrset_with_dnskey()` using each KSK DNSKEY record, and if one call succeeds, return its `Proof`. If there are multiple KSK DNSKEYs in the RRset, then this leads to another authentication break. We need to either pass the authenticated DNSKEYs from the DS covering check to the RRSIG validation, or we need to perform this RRSIG validation of the DNSKEY RRset inside `verify_dnskey_rrset()` and cut `verify_default_rrset()` out of DNSKEY RRset validation entirely. ### PoC The proof of concepts have been integrated into the conformance test suite, as `resolver::dnssec::scenarios::bogus::bogus_zone_plus_trust_anchor_dnskey` and `resolver::dnssec::scenarios::bogus::bogus_zone_plus_ds_covered_dnskey`. ### Impact This impacts Hickory DNS users relying on DNSSEC verification in the client library, stub resolver, or recursive resolver.
- Source published
- 10 Feb 2025 17:46:00 UTC
- Source modified
- 10 Sep 2026 03:50:56 UTC
- Saved here
- 24 Oct 2026 13:19:54 UTC
- Source terms
- GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0
Original source record · Cite this exact observation · Complete original publisher JSON
Source: osv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC-BY-4.0. The publisher's wording is preserved. ChangeIntel groups the information and labels changes. The JSON record includes additional source fields.
CVSS_V4 · CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Publisher rating · MODERATE