CVE-2026-49235: Routinator crashes on specifically crafted RRDP XML files
When Routinator encounters a file via RRDP using a specifically crafted Document Type Definition, Routinator crashes.
Metrics
- CVSS v4.0
- 8.7
- Severity
- HIGH
- Fixed in
- 0.15.2
- Affected Products
- 1
HarborGuard Analysis
Synopsis
A denial-of-service vulnerability exists in NLnet Labs Routinator, the RPKI validator daemon. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can deliver a specially crafted XML file containing a malicious Document Type Definition (DTD) over the RRDP (Repository Delta Protocol) feed, causing Routinator to crash. Successful exploitation disrupts RPKI route-origin validation, which can degrade or halt BGP routing security for the affected network. A patched-image rebuild at version 0.15.2 is available on HarborGuard for environments running an affected version.
HarborGuard Coverage
Detection of CVE-2026-49235 is available across every HarborGuard environment: the CVE is ingested from upstream feeds within minutes of publication and matched against all customer images in connected registries and CI/CD pipelines, including custom-built images that bundle Routinator. Coverage applies regardless of whether the image originates from a public base or an internally maintained build.
AvailableHarborGuard scores this CVE at 8.7 HIGH using the CVSS v4.0 vector and weighs it against each environment's compliance policy to determine urgency and routing. Findings are dispatched to the appropriate team inbox within the customer org based on policy-defined ownership rules.
AvailableA patched-image rebuild pinned to Routinator 0.15.2 becomes available on HarborGuard for any image found to contain an affected version. For customers who opt into auto-remediation, HarborGuard performs the rebuild, runs a regression test suite, and opens a pull request against affected workloads automatically.
AvailableExploit Conditions
- Network reachabilityRequired
The attacker must be able to reach the Routinator instance's RRDP feed ingestion path over the network by serving or poisoning an RRDP repository with a crafted XML file.
- AuthenticationNot required
No credentials or account are needed; RRDP is a public feed that Routinator fetches without authentication.
- Victim interactionNot required
No user action is needed; Routinator fetches and processes RRDP content autonomously on its scheduled polling cycle.
- Attack complexityDetail
The exploit is reliable and condition-free: delivering the malicious DTD-bearing XML file is sufficient to trigger the crash without depending on race conditions or specific memory layout.
Blast Radius
- Routinator crashes, halting all RPKI route-origin validation on the affected instance.
- BGP route announcements that depend on RPKI validation from this instance are no longer verified, degrading routing security posture.
- Downstream systems configured to rely on Routinator's validated-route cache (such as routers using RTR protocol) lose access to fresh validation data.
- Collateral impact on adjacent systems is low per the CVSS vector, but repeated crashes can constitute a sustained denial of the RPKI validation service until the process is restarted.
How HarborGuard Handles This
Available on HarborGuard: any image containing a version of Routinator prior to 0.15.2 is flagged immediately upon scan against the published CVE record. For customers who opt into auto-remediation, HarborGuard rebuilds the image at version 0.15.2, executes a regression run, and opens a pull request against affected workloads; for HIGH-severity issues, the median time from CVE publication to merged patch PR in auto-remediation environments is around 90 minutes. For environments where compliance policy requires manual approval, the rebuilt image is staged and the finding is routed to the responsible team inbox with full CVSS context attached. Where auto-remediation is not enabled, consider isolating Routinator instances behind network policy rules that restrict which hosts can serve RRDP content, and apply egress filtering to limit RRDP fetches to known-good repository origins while the patch is scheduled.
Fix available
- NLnet Labs / RoutinatorFixed in 0.15.2
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:L