CVE-2026-54478
LOWDescription
In NLnet Labs Unbound 1.18.0 up to and including 1.25.1, when Unbound listens on a 'proxy-protocol-port' interface with 'answer-cookie: yes', the RFC 9018 server-cookie SipHash is computed over the proxy's wire address instead of the PROXYv2-declared client. One server cookie obtained through a given proxy node therefore validates for every PROXYv2-declared source behind that node. On a UDP+proxy-protocol front, an off-path attacker can harvest one cookie with a single legitimate query, then replay it under any spoofed source and pass DNS Cookie checks that were deployed to defeat this in the first place.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N/E:U
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 8% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-290 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-4358 | Critical | 9.8 | 97% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2022-24112 | Critical | 9.8 | 96% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2022-23131 | Critical | 9.1 | 96% | KEV | - |
| CVE-2019-1234 | High | 7.5 | 74% | - | - |
| CVE-2021-31195 | Medium | 6.5 | 74% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-29441 | High | 8.6 | 70% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2026-54478?
Published advisories record a fix for 3 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2026-54478 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2026-54478 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 0.18% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 8% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2026-54478?
CVE-2026-54478 has a CVSS v3 base score of 3.7, rated low. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2026-54478 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for unbound (Debian), unbound (Red Hat / RHEL), unbound (Rocky). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-07-24.