CVE-2023-1579 Memory corruption in binutils
High 7.8
Published
Updated
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-1579 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2023-1579 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 3 Apr 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-1579 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Affected product: Gnu Binutils. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.
Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.
Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-1579/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-1579/index.md)
A heap-based buffer overflow in binutils allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via crafted binary files.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- A user has to click or open something
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2023-1579?
CVE-2023-1579 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 3 Apr 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Official description
Heap based buffer overflow in binutils-gdb/bfd/libbfd.c in bfd_getl64.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-1579?
It affects 1 product.
Linux distribution packages (29)
mingw-binutils-generic AlmaLinux:9 | All versions | 2.41-3.el9 |
mingw32-binutils AlmaLinux:9 | All versions | 2.41-3.el9 |
mingw64-binutils AlmaLinux:9 | All versions | 2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-debugsource Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-generic Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-generic-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw32-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw64-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
ucrt64-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::appstream | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-debugsource Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-generic Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils-generic-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw32-binutils Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw32-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw64-binutils Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw64-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
ucrt64-binutils-debuginfo Red Hat:enterprise_linux:9::crb | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-binutils Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:2.41-3.el9 |
mingw-crt Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:11.0.1-3.el9 |
mingw-filesystem Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:148-3.el9 |
mingw-gcc Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:13.2.1-7.el9 |
mingw-headers Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:11.0.1-3.el9 |
mingw-libffi Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:3.4.4-5.el9 |
mingw-w64-tools Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:11.0.1-3.el9 |
mingw-winpthreads Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:11.0.1-3.el9 |
mingw-zlib Rocky Linux:9 | All versions | 0:1.3.1-1.el9 |
Products include Gnu Binutils.
How do I fix CVE-2023-1579?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.
Is CVE-2023-1579 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-1579 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Gnu Binutils
Sources
Also known as ALPINE-CVE-2023-1579, ALSA-2024:2353, BELL-CVE-2023-1579, CLEANSTART-2025-WG19019, DEBIAN-CVE-2023-1579, GHSA-7p63-jgg6-rgpv and 2 more.