Focus on c-ares vulnerabilities and metrics.
Last updated: 15 Feb 2026, 23:25 UTC
This page consolidates all known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with c-ares. We track both calendar-based metrics (using fixed periods) and rolling metrics (using gliding windows) to give you a comprehensive view of security trends and risk evolution. Use these insights to assess risk and plan your patching strategy.
For a broader perspective on cybersecurity threats, explore the comprehensive list of CVEs by vendor and product. Stay updated on critical vulnerabilities affecting major software and hardware providers.
Total c-ares CVEs: 6
Earliest CVE date: 03 Oct 2016, 15:59 UTC
Latest CVE date: 08 Dec 2025, 22:15 UTC
Latest CVE reference: CVE-2025-62408
30-day Count (Rolling): 0
365-day Count (Rolling): 1
Calendar-based Variation
Calendar-based Variation compares a fixed calendar period (e.g., this month versus the same month last year), while Rolling Growth Rate uses a continuous window (e.g., last 30 days versus the previous 30 days) to capture trends independent of calendar boundaries.
Month Variation (Calendar): 0%
Year Variation (Calendar): 0.0%
Month Growth Rate (30-day Rolling): 0.0%
Year Growth Rate (365-day Rolling): 0.0%
Average CVSS: 2.43
Max CVSS: 7.5
Critical CVEs (≥9): 0
| Range | Count |
|---|---|
| 0.0-3.9 | 4 |
| 4.0-6.9 | 1 |
| 7.0-8.9 | 1 |
| 9.0-10.0 | 0 |
These are the five CVEs with the highest CVSS scores for c-ares, sorted by severity first and recency.
c-ares is an asynchronous resolver library. Versions 1.32.3 through 1.34.5 terminate a query after maximum attempts when using read_answer() and process_answer(), which can cause a Denial of Service. This issue is fixed in version 1.34.6.
c-ares is a C library for asynchronous DNS requests. `ares__read_line()` is used to parse local configuration files such as `/etc/resolv.conf`, `/etc/nsswitch.conf`, the `HOSTALIASES` file, and if using a c-ares version prior to 1.27.0, the `/etc/hosts` file. If any of these configuration files has an embedded `NULL` character as the first character in a new line, it can lead to attempting to read memory prior to the start of the given buffer which may result in a crash. This issue is fixed in c-ares 1.27.0. No known workarounds exist.
Buffer overflow vulnerability in c-ares before 1_16_1 thru 1_17_0 via function ares_parse_soa_reply in ares_parse_soa_reply.c.
A possible use-after-free and double-free in c-ares lib version 1.16.0 if ares_destroy() is called prior to ares_getaddrinfo() completing. This flaw possibly allows an attacker to crash the service that uses c-ares lib. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to this service availability.
The c-ares function `ares_parse_naptr_reply()`, which is used for parsing NAPTR responses, could be triggered to read memory outside of the given input buffer if the passed in DNS response packet was crafted in a particular way.
Heap-based buffer overflow in the ares_create_query function in c-ares 1.x before 1.12.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds write) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a hostname with an escaped trailing dot.