CVE-2026-62994

CoreDNS `k8s_external` headless AXFR can emit an empty transfer batch that panics the `transfer` plugin

Published Jul 16, 2026 CVSS 3.1 · 3.7 Low EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
CoreDNS is a DNS server written in Go. From 1.9.4 until 1.14.5, a network DNS client allowed to request AXFR for a CoreDNS zone can trigger a panic when CoreDNS is configured with k8s_external headless-service zone transfers and Kubernetes contains a headless service endpoint with no declared ports; plugin/kubernetes/object/endpoint.go creates Port: -1, plugin/k8s_external/msg_to_dns.go skips that service, plugin/k8s_external/transfer.go sends an empty []dns.RR batch, and plugin/transfer/transfer.go indexes records[0] without checking the batch is non-empty. This issue is fixed in version 1.14.5.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-74w3-63xv-x9mv CoreDNS `k8s_external` headless AXFR can emit an empty transfer batch that panics the `transfer` plugin
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Coredns.io
Coredns.io coredns
Vendors & Products Coredns.io
Coredns.io coredns
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'poc', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description CoreDNS is a DNS server written in Go. From 1.9.4 until 1.14.5, a network DNS client allowed to request AXFR for a CoreDNS zone can trigger a panic when CoreDNS is configured with k8s_external headless-service zone transfers and Kubernetes contains a headless service endpoint with no declared ports; plugin/kubernetes/object/endpoint.go creates Port: -1, plugin/k8s_external/msg_to_dns.go skips that service, plugin/k8s_external/transfer.go sends an empty []dns.RR batch, and plugin/transfer/transfer.go indexes records[0] without checking the batch is non-empty. This issue is fixed in version 1.14.5.
Title CoreDNS `k8s_external` headless AXFR can emit an empty transfer batch that panics the `transfer` plugin
Weaknesses CWE-248
CWE-755
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 3.7, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Jul 17, 2026, 11:12 AM
Reserved
Jul 14, 2026, 11:10 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Jul 16, 2026, 8:16 PM
Modified
Jul 22, 2026, 8:14 PM