# CVE-2026-90802: GNU Binutils ld libbfd.c bfd_putl64 null pointer dereference

> A local attacker can cause a denial of service in GNU Binutils ld via a null pointer dereference in bfd_putl64.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:L/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 14 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90802, ECHO-8268-216c-1a31, GHSA-9587-j488-f7h3, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90802

## What is CVE-2026-90802?

CVE-2026-90802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 14 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A weakness has been identified in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected is the function bfd_putl64 of the file bfd/libbfd.c of the component ld. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The attack requires local access. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. The project was informed of the problem early through a bug report but has not responded yet.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90802?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gnu Binutils.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-90802?

No fix published yet.

## Is CVE-2026-90802 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-90802 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Gnu Binutils

- [CVE-2017-7614](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7614/): Null dereference in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-9939](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-9939/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-7226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7226/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2017-6969](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6969/): Information disclosure in n/a (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2020-19726](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-19726/): Denial of service in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-90802 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90802 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils, published on 14 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-90802 exists.

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-2026-90802/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90802/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90802
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90802
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90802

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90802/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.