Description

In binutils 2.46.1 and prior versions, a victim who opens a crafted PE file using binutils could execute arbitrary code unknowningly via a stack buffer overflow out of bounds write.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-20T05:16:27.987Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-20T05:16:27.987Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A stack buffer overflow vulnerability exists in binutils version 2.46.1 and prior versions, specifically within the parsing routines handling Portable Executable (PE) file formats.\nThe vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution on a victim system through memory corruption. Exploitation requires user interaction, specifically tricking a victim into opening a maliciously crafted PE file using a vulnerable instance of binutils.\nSuccessful exploitation compromises the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of the host system by enabling the execution of arbitrary payloads within the context of the running application.\nThe root cause lies in unsafe memory handling during the parsing of PE structure attributes, resulting in an out-of-bounds write condition on the stack.\nOrganizations utilizing affected binutils versions face risks associated with malicious binary analysis and processing of untrusted executable files.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is a stack-based buffer overflow stemming from an out-of-bounds write during the processing of crafted PE files in binutils 2.46.1 and prior versions.\nWhen binutils parses the structural components of a PE file, insufficient bounds checking is performed on specific header fields or data directories before copying data into fixed-size local stack buffers.\nThe attack flow initiates when a victim processes a maliciously crafted PE file using a vulnerable binutils utility. As the parser reads the rogue structural offsets and metadata, it fails to validate the size parameters against the destination buffer capacity.\nThis absence of validation leads to a memory corruption event where attacker-controlled data overflows the boundaries of the stack buffer, overwriting adjacent stack frames, including saved frame pointers and return addresses.\nBy meticulously crafting the payload within the PE file fields, an attacker can hijack the control flow of the execution thread upon function return, redirecting execution to shellcode or leveraging return-oriented programming (ROP) chains.\nPrivilege requirements are minimal from a network perspective, as the attack requires local execution or processing of the malicious file, operating with the privileges of the user running the affected binutils utility.\nNo authentication or network exposure is inherently required, as the vector is driven by local file parsing, though it can be triggered remotely if integrated into automated server-side binary analysis pipelines or web services that process untrusted binaries.\nPost-exploitation impact includes arbitrary code execution, potential escalation of privileges if binutils is run with elevated permissions, and full compromise of the user session."
}