Buffer overflow in GNU Binutils

CVE-2017-15996

elfcomm.c in readelf in GNU Binutils 2.29 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (excessive memory allocation) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted ELF file that triggers a "buffer overflow on fuzzed archive header," related to an uninitialized variable, an improper conditional jump, and the get_archive_member_name, process_archive_index_and_symbols, and setup_archive functions.

Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.024 (83.2th percentile), scored .

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 83rd percentile — 83.2% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2017-15996: held from 0.024 to 0.024.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.024 · newest: 0.024 · change: +0.000

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-15996?
CVE-2017-15996 is a high-severity vulnerability in GNU Binutils, classified under Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2017-10-29.
How severe is CVE-2017-15996?
High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2017-15996 known to be exploited?
8 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.