Description
A flaw was found in the GNU Binutils BFD library, a widely used component for handling binary files such as object files and executables. The issue occurs when processing specially crafted XCOFF object files, where a relocation type value is not properly validated before being used. This can cause the program to read memory outside of intended bounds. As a result, affected tools may crash or expose unintended memory contents, leading to denial-of-service or limited information disclosure risks.
Published: 2026-03-23
Score: 6.1 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Denial of Service and limited information disclosure
Action: Immediate Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

A flaw in the GNU Binutils BFD library allows an attacker to craft an XCOFF object file with an invalid relocation type. When this file is processed, the relocation type is not properly validated, leading to a read outside the intended memory bounds. This out-of-bounds read can cause the processing program to crash or leak memory contents that were not intended for disclosure.

Affected Systems

The vulnerability affects a wide range of Red Hat products that ship with the Binutils library, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 6 through 10, Red Hat Hardened Images, and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4. The vulnerability is present in the GNU Binutils component itself; specific version details were not supplied by the CNA data and therefore are not listed.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 6.1 indicates a medium severity impact. The EPSS score is below 1% and the vulnerability is not currently listed in CISA’s KEV catalog, suggesting a low likelihood of widespread exploitation. The attack vector is inferred to be based on the delivery of a malicious XCOFF file, which could be supplied remotely to systems that consume such files or locally by an attacker with write access to the target system. Given the lack of an official workaround, systems remain at risk until the library is updated or the vulnerability is mitigated.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 9, 2026 at 18:30 UTC.

Remediation

Vendor Workaround

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options do not meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base, or stability.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Install the latest patched version of GNU Binutils from Red Hat for all affected distributions and OpenShift images
  • Update any system components or custom tools that rely on Binutils to a version that includes the fix
  • If operating with untrusted XCOFF files, restrict or disable XCOFF processing by configuring applications or removing the related utilities
  • Verify that no legacy binaries requiring XCOFF are in use and rebuild them against the updated library if necessary

Generated by OpenCVE AI on April 9, 2026 at 18:30 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat hummingbird
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1
Vendors & Products Redhat hummingbird

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Gnu
Gnu binutils
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:openshift_container_platform:4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Gnu
Gnu binutils

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat openshift Container Platform
Vendors & Products Redhat openshift Container Platform

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

 threat_severity

Moderate

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description A flaw was found in the GNU Binutils BFD library, a widely used component for handling binary files such as object files and executables. The issue occurs when processing specially crafted XCOFF object files, where a relocation type value is not properly validated before being used. This can cause the program to read memory outside of intended bounds. As a result, affected tools may crash or expose unintended memory contents, leading to denial-of-service or limited information disclosure risks.
Title Binutils: out-of-bounds read in xcoff relocation processing in gnu binutils bfd library
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift
Weaknesses CWE-125
CPEs cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Redhat openshift
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.1, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H'}

Subscriptions

Gnu Binutils
Redhat Enterprise Linux Hummingbird Openshift Openshift Container Platform
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: redhat

Published:

Updated: 2026-04-09T16:33:30.743Z

Reserved: 2026-03-23T12:48:06.297Z

Link: CVE-2026-4647

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-03-23T15:55:15.267Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-03-23T14:16:36.753

Modified: 2026-03-24T19:02:03.457

Link: CVE-2026-4647

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2026-03-23T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2026-4647 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-04-10T09:46:17Z

Weaknesses