# CVE-2017-14495: Denial of service in n/a

> Remote attackers can cause denial of service via memory consumption in dnsmasq when specific options are enabled.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Oct 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2017-14495, CLEANSTART-2026-KR50953, DEBIAN-CVE-2017-14495, GHSA-rcfc-xq5g-7phm, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-14495

## What is CVE-2017-14495?

CVE-2017-14495 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 2 Oct 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Memory leak in dnsmasq before 2.78, when the --add-mac, --add-cpe-id or --add-subnet option is specified, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via vectors involving DNS response creation.

Weakness: CWE-772 (Missing Release of Resource after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-14495?

It affects 6 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Redhat Enterprise Linux Desktop, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server, Redhat Enterprise Linux Workstation, Thekelleys Dnsmasq.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-14495?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2017-14495 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2017-14495 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Dnsmasq < 2.78 - Lack of free() Denial of Service (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2017-14495 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-14495 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 2 Oct 2017. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2017-14495 exists.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14495/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14495/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-14495
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-14495
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-14495

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-14495/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.