Binutils: binutils: denial of service via crafted elf file
Published Apr 22, 2026
5.0
MEDIUMCVSS 3.1
EPSS 0.14%
Description
A flaw was found in binutils, specifically within the `readelf` utility. This vulnerability allows a local attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by tricking a user into processing a specially crafted Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) file. The exploitation of this flaw can lead to the system becoming unresponsive due to excessive resource consumption or a program crash.
Affected products
Default status is the baseline for the product. Each version can override it (patched versions can be marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | affected | |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | affected | |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | affected | |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | affected | |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | affected | |
| Red Hat | Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | affected |
- n/a
- n/a
- 4.0
- 6.0
- 7.0
- 8.0
- 9.0
- 10.0
No data.
Red Hat Hardened Images
binutils-main-2.45.1-5.2.hum1
Fixed · RHSA-2026:34924
Red Hat Hardened Images
binutils-main-2.46.1-1.hum1
Fixed · RHSA-2026:39022
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
gcc-toolset-15-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
mingw-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gcc-toolset-14-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gcc-toolset-14-gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gcc-toolset-15-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gcc-toolset-15-gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
mingw-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
gcc-toolset-14-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
gcc-toolset-15-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
gdb
Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
mingw-binutils
Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-8
Fix deferred
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4
openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9
Fix deferred
| Product | Package | State | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Hardened Images | binutils-main-2.45.1-5.2.hum1 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:34924 |
| Red Hat Hardened Images | binutils-main-2.46.1-1.hum1 | Fixed | RHSA-2026:39022 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | gcc-toolset-15-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | mingw-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gcc-toolset-14-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gcc-toolset-14-gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gcc-toolset-15-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gcc-toolset-15-gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | mingw-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | gcc-toolset-14-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | gcc-toolset-15-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | gdb | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | mingw-binutils | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-8 | Fix deferred | n/a |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 | openshift/ose-rhel-coreos-9 | Fix deferred | n/a |
No package ranges for this CVE.
Remediation
Vendor solution
To mitigate this issue, users should avoid processing untrusted or suspicious ELF files with the `readelf` utility. No specific configuration or operational control is available to prevent this vulnerability without affecting the intended functionality of `readelf`.
Red Hat statement
This Moderate impact vulnerability in the `readelf` utility, part of `binutils`, can lead to a denial of service. An attacker could exploit this by convincing a user to process a specially crafted ELF file, resulting in resource exhaustion or a null pointer dereference. This affects Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat Developer Toolset where `readelf` is used to examine untrusted ELF binaries.
Red Hat mitigation
To mitigate this issue, users should avoid processing untrusted or suspicious ELF files with the `readelf` utility. No specific configuration or operational control is available to prevent this vulnerability without affecting the intended functionality of `readelf`.
References (7)
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34924 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:39022 vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6845 vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460012 issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue TrackingVendor Advisory
- https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-24712 Advisory
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6845
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-6845
| Link | Providers | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:34924 | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT | |
| https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:39022 | vendor-advisoryx_refsource_REDHAT | |
| https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6845 | vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHATVendor Advisory | |
| https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460012 | issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHATIssue TrackingVendor Advisory | |
| https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-24712 | Advisory | |
| https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-6845 | ||
| https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-6845 |
Change history (0)
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