What is CVE-2026-85501?

CVE-2026-85501 is Retrap: Novel Vulnerabilities to launch Algorithmic Complexity Attacks on DNSSEC. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Denial of Service mapped to CWE-770 CWE-770.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-85501. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

No. CVE-2026-85501 is not listed in CISA KEV in the supplied enrichment data. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Is there a public exploit?

A public PoC is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-85501. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with web/proxy/WAF logs, application logs, network IDS/IPS where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-85501 using CVSS 5.3, EPSS 0%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

Workarounds are not confirmed from current sources. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

mediumDenial of Service

CVE-2026-85501

CVE-2026-85501 — Retrap: Novel Vulnerabilities to launch Algorithmic Complexity Attacks on DNSSEC

Novel vulnerabilities to launch algorithmic complexity attacks on DNSSEC have been researched under the term 'ReTrap'. These result in degradation of service when malicious zones are used to serve the algorithmic complexity vulnerabilities. NLnet Labs Unbound up to and including 1.26.0 is vulnerable to some of them. TagTrap, where the triple(Zone, Algo, KeyTag) matching mechanism introduces a significant attack vector when resolvers handle malicious responses containing numerous mismatched DNSKEY, RRSIG, and DS record. DelegationTrap, where constructing the chain-of-trust requires iterative validation of DNSKEY and DS records from the root zone downward. For deeply nested domains, this results in significant computational overhead. NsecTrap, where responses with excessive invalid NSEC records compel the resolver to validate each one. AdditionalTrap, where Unbound by default would try to DNSSEC validate the ADDITIONAL section as well. This can be exploited to waste validation resources by malicious users.

Published Sep 16, 2026Updated Sep 16, 2026Sources: NVD, NLnet Labs (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, Red Hat (VEX), SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Unreported

no source claims exploitation

EPSS

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

NLnet Labs

Unbound

CVSS base

5.3

medium

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

This issue is fixed starting with version 1.26.1

Red Hat VEX · CVE-2026-85501

fixed0affected2not affected0

none_available: Fix deferred

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
NLnet Labs	Unbound	0 to < 1.26.1	Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

Low

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

None

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
5.3	CVSS 3.1	medium	3.9	1.4	nlnetlabs.nl (CNA), NLnet Labs (CNA), GHSA, Red Hat (VEX)

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-770 · Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling

DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)

Mitigation: Clearly specify the minimum and maximum expectations for capabilities, and dictate which behaviors are acceptable when resource allocation reaches limits.

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-770

Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.

CAPEC-125 · FloodingCAPEC-130 · Excessive AllocationCAPEC-147 · XML Ping of the DeathCAPEC-197 · XML Entity ExpansionCAPEC-229 · Serialized Data Parameter BlowupCAPEC-230 · XML Nested PayloadsCAPEC-231 · Oversized Serialized Data PayloadsCAPEC-469 · HTTP DoSCAPEC-482 · TCP FloodCAPEC-486 · UDP FloodCAPEC-487 · ICMP FloodCAPEC-488 · HTTP Flood

T1498.001Network Denial of Service: Direct Network Flood
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
T1499.003Endpoint Denial of Service: Application Exhaustion Flood

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Unbound.

web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 5.3 (AV:N)
Sep 16, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Sep 16, 2026 · NVD
Reported · Fixes released with version 1.26.1
Sep 16, 2026 · NLnet Labs
Added · GHSA-qwgf-hj58-8c2w published (medium)
Sep 16, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory
CVE published by MITRE.
Sep 16, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI
Reported · Qifan Zhang verifies patch
May 8, 2026 · NLnet Labs
Reported · NLnet Labs shares patch with Qifan Zhang
May 7, 2026 · NLnet Labs
Issue similar to TagTrap reported by Qifan Zhang
May 5, 2026 · NLnet Labs
2025
Reported · Zuyao Xu verifies patch
Sep 3, 2025 · NLnet Labs
Reported · NLnet Labs shares patch with Zuyao Xu
Aug 26, 2025 · NLnet Labs
Reported · Zuyao Xu shares updated research results
Aug 14, 2025 · NLnet Labs
Reported · NLnet Labs shares some concerns about the testing methodology
May 28, 2025 · NLnet Labs
Issue reported by Zuyao Xu
May 24, 2025 · NLnet Labs

References

6 on the record

www.nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/unbound/CVE-2026-85501.txt
Vendor Advisory
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85501
NVD
github.com/advisories/GHSA-qwgf-hj58-8c2w
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-85501
Vendor Advisory
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2535057
Vendor Advisory
www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-85501
Vendor Advisory

Elsewhere on this site

NLnet Labsevery CVE for this vendor
Denial of Servicesame class
CWE-770other pages naming this weakness

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-85501 is Retrap: Novel Vulnerabilities to launch Algorithmic Complexity Attacks on DNSSEC, a medium vulnerability affecting Unbound from NLnet Labs. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-85501. Public exploit evidence is: A public PoC is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-85501. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 5.3 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.