Description

A vulnerability was detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected by this vulnerability is the function elf_x86_allocate_dynrelocs of the file bfd/elfxx-x86.c of the component Dynamic Relocation Allocation. The manipulation results in null pointer dereference. The attack requires a local approach. The exploit is now public and may be used. Upgrading to version 2.48 addresses this issue. The patch is identified as d1268210b6f6/471130b39c0/283d3198bed/0a84e560216/a692a633d40. Upgrading the affected component is recommended.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "3.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-15T09:16:45.350Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-15T09:16:45.350Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A null pointer dereference vulnerability has been identified in GNU Binutils version 2.47, specifically within the dynamic relocation allocation logic.\nThe flaw resides in the elf_x86_allocate_dynrelocs function located in bfd/elfxx-x86.c.\nThis vulnerability is triggered when the application processes specifically crafted input, leading to a crash or potential denial-of-service state.\nThe issue requires a local attack vector to exploit, meaning an attacker must have local access to the environment where the vulnerable component is utilized to trigger the faulty execution path.\nGiven that exploit information is publicly available, the risk to system availability is significant.\nThe primary impact of successful exploitation is a service disruption due to the abnormal termination of the process, though the potential for further exploitation depending on the environment cannot be fully excluded.\nImmediate remediation is provided by upgrading to GNU Binutils version 2.48, which contains the necessary security patches.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is localized within the dynamic relocation allocation mechanism of the BFD library, specifically the function elf_x86_allocate_dynrelocs in bfd/elfxx-x86.c.\nThe root cause is a failure in the internal logic of the dynamic relocation handler to properly validate pointers before dereferencing them, leading to an attempt to access memory at address 0x0.\nThe defect occurs during the stage of the build or link process where dynamic relocations for x86 architectures are calculated and allocated.\nWhen an attacker provides a malformed binary file that triggers the specific conditions within the dynamic relocation processing logic, the BFD library encounters a state where a pointer intended to reference a dynamically allocated structure remains null.\nThe execution flow involves the linker calling elf_x86_allocate_dynrelocs during the linking phase. If the input binary contains specific ELF structures that manipulate the internal state of the relocation allocation tracking, the code path proceeds to perform an operation on an uninitialized or improperly assigned pointer member of the dynamic relocation structure.\nBecause there is no preceding validation check to ensure the pointer refers to a valid memory address, the CPU triggers a segmentation fault (SIGSEGV) when attempting to resolve or dereference the null address.\nExploitation is strictly local, requiring the attacker to execute the vulnerable binary or trigger it via local build processes. As the exploit is now public, automated tools may be leveraged to craft files that consistently trigger this dereference.\nThe impact is a denial-of-service on the process utilizing the BFD library. In contexts where the library is used by build tools or automated pipelines, this can result in the failure of legitimate software compilation or system integrity checks.\nPost-exploitation impact is primarily process termination, which halts further execution. The vulnerability does not inherently allow for remote code execution; however, the abrupt termination of security-sensitive tools or critical build infrastructure constitutes a significant availability risk."
}