CVE-2026-6844
Binutils: binutils: denial of service vulnerabilities in readelf via crafted elf files
A flaw was found in the `readelf` utility of the binutils package. A local attacker could exploit two Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerabilities by providing a specially crafted Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) file. One vulnerability, a resource exhaustion (CWE-400), can lead to an out-of-memory condition. The other, a null pointer dereference (CWE-476), can cause a segmentation fault. Both issues can result in the `readelf` utility becoming unresponsive or crashing, leading to a denial of service.
Fixes and workarounds
Workaround
To mitigate this vulnerability, users should avoid using the `readelf` utility on untrusted or suspicious ELF files. Processing a specially crafted ELF file with `readelf` can lead to a denial of service.
Source: CNA: redhatAffected products and versions
| Product | Versions | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat gcc-toolset-15-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat gdb
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Red Hat mingw-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Red Hat binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat gcc-toolset-14-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat gcc-toolset-14-gdb
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat gcc-toolset-15-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat gcc-toolset-15-gdb
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat gdb
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Red Hat mingw-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat gcc-toolset-14-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat gcc-toolset-15-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat gdb
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Red Hat mingw-binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat Hardened Images Red Hat binutils
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-8
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 Red Hat openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/ |
Range not reported
Other versions: affected |
CNA: redhat |
Version ranges are source assertions. Check the vendor advisory and your installed configuration before determining exposure.
CVSS assessments
| Version / score | Vector | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 / 5.5 medium |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H | CNA: redhat |
Exploit evidence
No exploit evidence in collected sources. This is not proof of no exploitation.
References
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6844CNA: redhat · vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460016CNA: redhat · issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT
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