CVE-2017-15996
elfcomm.c in readelf in GNU Binutils 2.29 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (excessive memory allocation) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted ELF file that triggers a "buffer overflow on fuzzed archive header,"…
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (2.38%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
elfcomm.c in readelf in GNU Binutils 2.29 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (excessive memory allocation) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted ELF file that triggers a "buffer overflow on fuzzed archive header," related to an uninitialized variable, an improper conditional jump, and the get_archive_member_name, process_archive_index_and_symbols, and setup_archive functions.
- CVSS 3.0
- 7.8 HIGHCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 2.38% probability · 84th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-119
- Affected
- gnu/binutils
- Source
- cve@mitre.org
EPSS moved from 3.9% on 21 September 2026 to 2.4% on 27 October 2026.
References
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101608Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22361Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=d91f0b20e561e326ee91a09a76206257bde8438b
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101608Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22361Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=d91f0b20e561e326ee91a09a76206257bde8438b
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.