# CVE-2026-90803: GNU Binutils ld elf64-x86-64.c elf_x86_64_relocate_section buffer overflow

> A buffer overflow in the GNU Binutils linker allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service via crafted ELF files.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/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:** 14 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2026-90803, ECHO-392a-f089-3bab, GHSA-fw55-q7rw-84f9, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-90803

## What is CVE-2026-90803?

CVE-2026-90803 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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 security vulnerability has been detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected by this vulnerability is the function elf_x86_64_relocate_section of the file bfd/elf64-x86-64.c of the component ld. Such manipulation of the argument roff leads to buffer overflow. An attack has to be approached locally. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. Upgrading to version 2.48 addresses this issue. The name of the patch is 471130b39c03623ec6d78ece377ff4da3f6bfe7b. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-90803?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Gnu Binutils.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-90803?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2026-90803 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2026-90803 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-2026-90803 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-90803 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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-2026-90803 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-2026-90803/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90803/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-90803
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-90803
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-90803

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-90803/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.