← Back to results
Vulnerability record · public intelligence
CVE-2026-4438
MEDIUM

gethostbyaddr and gethostbyaddr_r return invalid DNS hostnames

Published Mar 20, 2026 · Updated Nov 3, 2026

Severity · CVSSMEDIUM · Not scored
Known exploitationNot listed
EPSS / likelihood0.33%
QFinch risk scoreNot available

Original summary

Normalized public record · Updated Nov 3, 2026

gethostbyaddr and gethostbyaddr_r return invalid DNS hostnames

Publisher and source text is retained separately from QFinch interpretation.

QFinch assessment

Calling gethostbyaddr or gethostbyaddr_r with a configured nsswitch.conf that specifies the library's DNS backend in the GNU C library version 2.34 to version 2.43 could result in an invalid DNS hostname being returned to the caller in violation of the DNS specification.

Evidence: public source records

Affected products

Affected scope reported by the available public evidence
Affected package, product or rangeFix status
Consult the referenced vendor advisory for affected versions.Consult source advisory

Matching a version is only one part of assessing exposure. QFinch has not assessed your environment on this public page.

Remediation

Apply the vendor-supported fixed release or mitigation, then verify the affected component is no longer reachable.

  1. Confirm the affected product and reachable code path exist in your environment.
  2. Apply the vendor-supported patch or mitigation from the primary advisory.
  3. Rescan the exact deployed revision and retain verification evidence.
Review primary references

Evidence coverage

FIRST-EPSSCVE-LIST-V5
SSVC priority
LOW
Confidence
Not available
Aliases
None reported

Scores appear only when corresponding evidence exists. Missing data is never interpreted as zero risk.

Sources and record history

  1. sourceware.org ↗
  2. cert-portal.siemens.com ↗

Record history

Published Mar 20, 2026 · Last refreshed Nov 3, 2026