Binutils Readelf Local DoS via Crafted ELF Files
CVE-2026-6844 Published on April 22, 2026

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.

NVD

Vulnerability Analysis

CVE-2026-6844 is exploitable with local system access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.

Attack Vector:
LOCAL
Attack Complexity:
LOW
Privileges Required:
NONE
User Interaction:
REQUIRED
Scope:
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact:
NONE
Integrity Impact:
NONE
Availability Impact:
HIGH

Timeline

Reported to Red Hat.

Made public.

Weakness Type

What is a Resource Exhaustion Vulnerability?

The software does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource, thereby enabling an actor to influence the amount of resources consumed, eventually leading to the exhaustion of available resources.

CVE-2026-6844 has been classified to as a Resource Exhaustion vulnerability or weakness.


Products Associated with CVE-2026-6844

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
 
Red Hat Hummingbird
 
Red Hat Openshift
 

Affected Versions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Red Hat Hardened Images: Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4: