Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2016-7074 affects older PowerDNS components. A man-in-the-middle attacker could alter DNS zone transfer content because TSIG signature validation did not ensure the signed record was last. Business impact is integrity risk to DNS data, not direct system takeover.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted DNS integrity issue. Prioritize internet-facing or cross-network DNS transfer environments, but this is not described as wormable or actively exploited in the supplied sources.
Technical view
PowerDNS before 3.4.11 and 4.0.2, and PowerDNS Recursor before 4.0.4, insufficiently validated TSIG-signed AXFR responses. Records after the TSIG could be parsed even though not covered by the signature, allowing tampering by an attacker positioned on the transfer path.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant where affected PowerDNS versions handle AXFR zone transfers protected by TSIG, especially across networks where a man-in-the-middle position is plausible.
Exploitation context
The supplied sources describe a network attacker in man-in-the-middle position. No KEV listing or provided source indicates active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The core flaw is missing validation that TSIG is the final AXFR record. Scope appears limited to integrity of transferred zone content under man-in-the-middle conditions. Evidence does not show confidentiality or availability impact.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade PowerDNS Authoritative to 3.4.11, 4.0.2, or a later supported release.
- Upgrade PowerDNS Recursor to 4.0.4 or a later supported release.
- Apply relevant Debian or vendor package updates where PowerDNS is OS-managed.
- Prioritize servers performing AXFR transfers over less trusted network paths.
- Check PowerDNS and distribution advisories for environment-specific guidance if upgrade is delayed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory PowerDNS authoritative and recursor installations and record installed versions.
- Compare versions with the fixed releases named in the advisories.
- Identify DNS zones using AXFR with TSIG and their transfer paths.
- Confirm vendor package changelogs include the CVE fix or equivalent backport.
- Review secondary DNS data for unexpected records after remediation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-7074 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.3 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N3.91.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
5.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-7074CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- DSA-3764CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
- https://doc.powerdns.com/md/security/powerdns-advisory-2016-04/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Input Validation
Improper Input Validation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.