CVE-2011-1076: net/dns_resolver/dns_key.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.38 allows remote DNS servers to cause a denial of...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2011-1076 is an old Linux kernel denial-of-service flaw. A remote DNS server returning an invalid response could trigger a kernel NULL pointer dereference and OOPS in the DNS resolver key handling path, potentially disrupting affected systems. Exposure is most likely on legacy systems running Linux kernels before 2.6.38, or vendor kernels missing the backported DNS resolver fix. Modern maintained distributions are unlikely to be affected, but embedded, appliance, or unsupported Linux builds may still carry the vulnerable code. Moderate priority for most organizations because the impact is denial of service and the affected kernel line is very old. Escalate where legacy Linux systems support critical operations or cannot be quickly patched. Mitigation focus: Inventory Linux systems and identify kernels before 2.6.38 or unverified vendor backports.; Apply a vendor-supported kernel update containing the DNS resolver key fix.; Check vendor advisories for backported fixes on long-term or appliance kernels..

Prepared

Jun 27, 2026, 17:48 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.