GNU Binutils Linker Heap Buffer Overflow in XCOFF
CVE-2026-15003 Published on July 27, 2026
Binutils: gnu binutils: heap-buffer-overflow in linker leads to information disclosure and denial of service
A flaw was found in the GNU Binutils (Binary Utilities) linker. This vulnerability, a heap-buffer-overflow read (CWE-125), occurs when the linker processes a specially crafted 32-bit XCOFF (Extended Common Object File Format) object file. An attacker could exploit this by providing a malicious file, leading to an out-of-bounds read of memory. This can result in information disclosure, potentially revealing sensitive heap data, and a Denial of Service (DoS) due to the linker crashing.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-15003 can be exploited with local system access, requires user interaction and a small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have a small impact on confidentiality, a small impact on integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Timeline
Reported to Red Hat.
Made public. 20 days later.
Weakness Type
Out-of-bounds Read
The software reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Typically, this can allow attackers to read sensitive information from other memory locations or cause a crash. A crash can occur when the code reads a variable amount of data and assumes that a sentinel exists to stop the read operation, such as a NUL in a string. The expected sentinel might not be located in the out-of-bounds memory, causing excessive data to be read, leading to a segmentation fault or a buffer overflow. The software may modify an index or perform pointer arithmetic that references a memory location that is outside of the boundaries of the buffer. A subsequent read operation then produces undefined or unexpected results.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-15003
Want to know whenever a new CVE is published for Red Hat products? stack.watch will email you.
