Vulnerability · Published Feb 5, 2026 · Assigned by VulnCheck
CVE-2020-37127dnsmasq-utils 2.79-1 - 'dhcp_release' Denial of Service
Medium 5.5
In plain English
A medium-severity stack buffer overflow in dnsmasq-utils from dnsmasq. Proof-of-concept exploit code is public. The chance it is exploited in the next 30 days is estimated at 0.2% (higher than 11% of all known vulnerabilities). Fixed versions are available - upgrade the affected package.
Severity (CVSS 3.1)5.5Medium
Exploit odds (30 days)0.2%top 89.2% of all CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo reportsCISA SSVC: poc
Attack toolingNoneno public tooling known
Official description
Dnsmasq-utils 2.79-1 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the dhcp_release utility that allows attackers to cause a denial of service by supplying excessive input. Attackers can trigger a core dump and terminate the dhcp_release process by sending a crafted input string longer than 16 characters.
Affected packages & fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | dnsmasq | 2.80-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2020-37127 |
| Debian:13 | dnsmasq | 2.80-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2020-37127 |
| Debian:14 | dnsmasq | 2.80-1 | DEBIAN-CVE-2020-37127 |
| Ubuntu:22.04:LTS | dnsmasq | 2.90-0ubuntu0.22.04.1 | UBUNTU-CVE-2020-37127 |
Affected products (as reported)
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| dnsmasq | dnsmasq-utils | 2.79 |
Weakness: CWE-121 · Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
References
- ExploitDB-48301 exploit
- Software Link for dnsmasq 2.79-1 product
- VulnCheck Advisory: dnsmasq-utils 2.79-1 - 'dhcp_release' Denial of Service third-party-advisory