CVE-2026-3442 Binutils: gnu binutils: information disclosure or denial of service via out-of-bounds read in bfd linker
An attacker can cause information disclosure or denial of service by tricking a user into processing a malicious XCOFF object file with the bfd linker.
- 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-2026-3442?
CVE-2026-3442 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 15 Mar 2026. 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
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.
Weakness: CWE-125
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-3442?
It affects 3 products.
Products include Gnu Binutils, Redhat Enterprise Linux, Redhat Openshift Container Platform.
How do I fix CVE-2026-3442?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Is CVE-2026-3442 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-3442 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Gnu Binutils
Sources
Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2026-3442, ECHO-16be-74b0-122b, GHSA-j3rv-75wm-77rm, MINI-r9cr-w4cq-7r36, ROOT-OS-ALPINE-319-CVE-2026-3442, ROOT-OS-ALPINE-321-CVE-2026-3442 and 4 more.