Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CoreDNS versions before 1.14.2 can be crashed remotely with specially crafted DNS queries. The issue affects availability, not data confidentiality or integrity. For any environment where CoreDNS is part of critical name resolution, a crash can disrupt applications that depend on DNS.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for DNS infrastructure because exploitation can interrupt name resolution and application availability. Patch internet-facing or widely reachable CoreDNS deployments first, then validate downstream vendor fixes.
Technical view
The vulnerable CoreDNS loop detection plugin used a predictable PRNG to generate a secret query name. An attacker able to send DNS queries can trigger a fatal error path that terminates the CoreDNS process. Sources identify this as patched in CoreDNS 1.14.2 with CVSS 7.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely in deployments running CoreDNS before 1.14.2, especially where DNS service is reachable by untrusted or broad client populations. Downstream package exposure should be verified through vendor advisories, including the listed Red Hat CVE and errata pages.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability is network reachable, low complexity, and unauthenticated, but the supported impact is denial of service only.
Researcher notes
Focus review on CoreDNS loop plugin behavior before 1.14.2, predictable secret query generation, and fatal process termination. Do not assume broader product impact beyond CoreDNS and vendor advisories named in the sources.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade CoreDNS to version 1.14.2 or later.
- Apply vendor-provided patched packages where CoreDNS is supplied downstream.
- Review Red Hat errata if using Red Hat-distributed CoreDNS packages.
- Limit DNS query access to expected clients where operationally feasible.
- Monitor CoreDNS restart loops and crash events after patching.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all CoreDNS versions and flag releases before 1.14.2.
- Confirm whether vendor packages map to fixed advisory versions.
- Check CoreDNS configuration for use of the loop detection plugin.
- Review DNS service logs for unexplained crashes or restarts.
- Verify patched instances remain stable under normal DNS traffic.
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
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-1241: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-337: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-400: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCWE-770: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2026-26018 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6GitHub_MCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6redhat-SADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.5HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Made public.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- ADP timelineredhat-SADP
Reported to Red Hat.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2026-03-06T16:01:38.150Z: Reported to Red Hat.
- 2026-03-06T15:35:50.801Z: Made public.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/coredns/coredns/security/advisories/GHSA-h75p-j8xm-m278CVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/coredns/coredns/releases/tag/v1.14.2CVE reference, GitHub_M · x_refsource_MISC
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-26018CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2445242CVE reference, redhat-SADP · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-26018.jsonCVE reference, redhat-SADP · x_sadp-csaf-vex
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:36873CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:25127CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:8151CVE reference, redhat-SADP · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_REDHAT
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.
Use of Predictable Algorithm in Random Number Generator
Use of Predictable Algorithm in Random Number Generator represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Predictable Seed in Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG)
Predictable Seed in Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Uncontrolled Resource Consumption represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.