binutils: NULL pointer dereference in _bfd_add_merge_section in merge_strings function in merge.c
Published Oct 23, 2018
5.5
MEDIUMCVSS 3.0
EPSS 2.32%
Description
An issue was discovered in the merge_strings function in merge.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31. There is a NULL pointer dereference in _bfd_add_merge_section when attempting to merge sections with large alignments. A specially crafted ELF allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, as demonstrated by ld.
Affected products
No data.
Configuration 2
- 7.0
- 8.0
- 9.0
Configuration 3
- n/a
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
binutils
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
binutils220
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
binutils
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
binutils
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
binutils
Will not fix
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
mingw-binutils
Will not fix
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | binutils | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | binutils220 | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | binutils | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | binutils | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | binutils | Will not fix | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | mingw-binutils | Will not fix | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
This issue is classified with a low severity primarily because binutils is not typically exposed to untrusted inputs in most environments, limiting the possibility of exploitation. Additionally, this NULL pointer dereference is only triggered during the parsing of a specially crafted file, requiring an attacker to convince a user to process this file with ld. Furthermore, binutils does not handle privileged operations, meaning that exploitation is unlikely to lead to system compromise or escalation of privileges. Also, the impact is limited to the application itself, without affecting the broader system or network security.
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
No CVSS v3.1 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
1 other source (Red Hat) ▾
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
No CISA SSVC assessment for this CVE yet.
Estimated probability of exploitation in the wild in the next 30 days (FIRST EPSS). As of Oct 1, 2026.
Score over time
2021–2026- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Percentile over time
- EPSS v1
- EPSS v5
- EPSS v2
- EPSS v3
- EPSS v4
Table of values (22 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 2.32% (0.02320) | 82.84th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Sep 22, 2026 | 2.32% (0.02320) | 82.71th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 3.99% (0.03989) | 90.08th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Sep 6, 2026 | 2.32% (0.02320) | 82.34th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Sep 5, 2026 | 3.99% (0.03989) | 89.85th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 30, 2026 | 2.32% (0.02320) | 82.25th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 28, 2026 | 3.99% (0.03989) | 89.79th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 24, 2026 | 2.32% (0.02320) | 82.15th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Aug 23, 2026 | 3.99% (0.03989) | 89.75th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 2.24% (0.02239) | 80.47th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.30% (0.00297) | 50.92th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.39% (0.00394) | 74.26th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Jun 11, 2024 | 0.39% (0.00394) | 73.43th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 15, 2024 | 0.52% (0.00515) | 76.19th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Feb 8, 2024 | 0.36% (0.00363) | 71.55th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Nov 8, 2023 | 0.36% (0.00363) | 69.21th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Oct 17, 2023 | 0.20% (0.00204) | 57.99th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.17% (0.00171) | 52.37th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.32% (0.01319) | 71.27th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 1.32% (0.01319) | 44.98th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 2.58% (0.02580) | 55.23th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 2.58% (0.02580) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (11)
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSE
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSE
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-18606 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1647415 Issue Tracking
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18606
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/ x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23806 x_refsource_MISCExploitIssue TrackingThird Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=45a0eaf77022963d639d6d19871dbab7b79703fc x_refsource_MISC
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTU
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-18606
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSE | |
| http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSE | |
| http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754 | vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2018-18606 | Vendor Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1647415 | Issue Tracking | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18606 | ||
| https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/ | x_refsource_CONFIRMThird Party Advisory | |
| https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23806 | x_refsource_MISCExploitIssue TrackingThird Party Advisory | |
| https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=45a0eaf77022963d639d6d19871dbab7b79703fc | x_refsource_MISC | |
| https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/ | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTU | |
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-18606 |
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.