binutils: out-of-bounds read in setup_group in bfd/elf.c
Published Jun 26, 2019
5.5
MEDIUMCVSS 3.1
EPSS 1.80%
Description
An issue was discovered in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.32. There is a heap-based buffer over-read in _bfd_doprnt in bfd.c because elf_object_p in elfcode.h mishandles an e_shstrndx section of type SHT_GROUP by omitting a trailing '\0' character.
Affected products
No data.
No data.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
binutils
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
binutils220
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
binutils
Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gcc-toolset-9-binutils
Fix deferred
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | binutils | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | binutils220 | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | binutils | Out of support scope | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gcc-toolset-9-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Red Hat statement
Exploitation of this bug specifically requires the victim to analyze a maliciously crafted binary using a tool that uses a vulnerable version of libbfd. No binary under normal circumstances, omits the '\0' in SHT_GROUP, that is a prerequisite for this attack to work. It is neither common practice, nor recommended to analyze untrusted binaries outside a sandbox. Therefore RH ProdSec has set the Impact of this bug to "Low".
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0 score for this CVE.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
No CVSS v3.0 score for this CVE.
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 2, 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 (14 key points)
Flat stretches are collapsed; showing up to 120 newest points.
| Date | Score | Percentile | Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2, 2026 | 1.80% (0.01802) | 77.74th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 1.80% (0.01802) | 75.60th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Mar 17, 2025 | 0.24% (0.00242) | 45.55th | v4 (v2025.03.14) |
| Dec 12, 2024 | 0.07% (0.00068) | 32.05th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Jun 19, 2024 | 0.07% (0.00067) | 29.41th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Jun 14, 2024 | 0.06% (0.00063) | 26.89th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 7, 2023 | 0.06% (0.00063) | 24.87th | v3 (v2023.03.01) |
| Mar 6, 2023 | 1.11% (0.01108) | 55.18th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Apr 1, 2022 | 1.11% (0.01108) | 51.54th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 4, 2022 | 3.31% (0.03305) | 65.81th | v2 (v2022.01.01) |
| Feb 3, 2022 | 7.04% (0.07038) | 83.71th | v1 |
| Jan 6, 2022 | 7.04% (0.07038) | 83.55th | v1 |
| Jan 5, 2022 | 1.66% (0.01659) | 74.85th | v5 (v2026.06.15) |
| Apr 14, 2021 | 1.66% (0.01659) | 0.00th | v1 |
References (11)
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00078.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00004.html vendor-advisoryx_refsource_SUSEMailing ListThird Party Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/108903 vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-12972 Vendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1831873 Issue Tracking
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12972
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202007-39 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_GENTOOThird Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=24689 x_refsource_MISCExploitIssue TrackingPatchThird Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=890f750a3b053532a4b839a2dd6243076de12031 x_refsource_MISC
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/ vendor-advisoryx_refsource_UBUNTUThird Party Advisory
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-12972
Change history (0)
No recorded changes yet.