DNS Server Recursive Query Cache Poisoning Weakness

medium Nessus Plugin ID 10539

Synopsis

The remote name server allows recursive queries to be performed by the host running nessusd.

Description

It is possible to query the remote name server for third-party names.

If this is your internal nameserver, then the attack vector may be limited to employees or guest access if allowed.

If you are probing a remote nameserver, then it allows anyone to use it to resolve third party names (such as www.nessus.org).
This allows attackers to perform cache poisoning attacks against this nameserver.

If the host allows these recursive queries via UDP, then the host can be used to 'bounce' Denial of Service attacks against another network or system.

Solution

Restrict recursive queries to the hosts that should use this nameserver (such as those of the LAN connected to it).

If you are using bind 8, you can do this by using the instruction 'allow-recursion' in the 'options' section of your named.conf.

If you are using bind 9, you can define a grouping of internal addresses using the 'acl' command.

Then, within the options block, you can explicitly state:
'allow-recursion { hosts_defined_in_acl }'

If you are using another name server, consult its documentation.

See Also

http://www.nessus.org/u?c4dcf24a

Plugin Details

Severity: Medium

ID: 10539

File Name: bind_query.nasl

Version: 1.48

Type: remote

Family: DNS

Published: 10/27/2000

Updated: 6/27/2018

Supported Sensors: Nessus

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: Medium

Score: 4.2

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: Medium

Base Score: 5

Temporal Score: 3.7

Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

Vulnerability Information

CPE: cpe:/a:isc:bind

Exploit Ease: No known exploits are available

Vulnerability Publication Date: 8/1/1997

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-1999-0024

BID: 136, 678

CERT-CC: CA-1997-22