Out-of-bounds Read in GNU Binutils
CVE-2026-3442
A flaw was found in GNU Binutils. This vulnerability, a heap-based buffer overflow, specifically an out-of-bounds read, exists in the bfd linker component. An attacker could exploit this by convincing a user to process a specially crafted malicious XCOFF object file. Successful exploitation may lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or cause the application to crash, resulting in an application level denial of service.
Vulnerability class: Buffer Overflow
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 6.1 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (7.8th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 8th percentile — 7.8% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.003 · newest: 0.002 · change: -0.001
Affected products
- GNU Binutils
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
- Red Hat Hardened Images — versions 2.45.1-5.1.hum1, 2.46.1-1.hum1
- Red Hat Openshift Container Platform 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux — versions 6.0, 7.0, 8.0
- Red Hat Openshift Container Platform — versions 4.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-3442 (vdb-entry, Vendor Advisory)
- bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi (issue-tracking, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:33527 (vendor-advisory)
- access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2026:39022 (vendor-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2026-3442?
- CVE-2026-3442 is a medium-severity vulnerability in GNU Binutils, classified under Out-of-bounds Read. CVSS score: 6.1/10. Published 2026-03-16.
- How severe is CVE-2026-3442?
- Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 6.1 out of 10.