FKIE_CVE-2026-18220
Vulnerability from fkie_nvd - Published: 2026-07-29 11:16 - Updated: 2026-07-30 14:15
Severity
Summary
An out-of-bounds write vulnerability was found in the BFD library's DLX ELF backend (bfd/elf32-dlx.c) in GNU binutils. The dlx_rtype_to_howto() function maps ELF relocation types to internal howto structures but fails to perform adequate bounds checking on attacker-controlled relocation type values (via ELF32_R_TYPE(r_info)) before indexing into the dlx_elf_howto_table[] array. The DLX relocation type number space is non-contiguous (basic types 0-6, extended types at 0x10000+), but the default case in the switch statement allows arbitrary index values to reach the array access.
A specially crafted ELF/DLX object file can trigger this out-of-bounds write when processed by any BFD-consuming tool (objdump, readelf, strip, ld, nm, objcopy). The vulnerability has been demonstrated to achieve arbitrary code execution via a File Stream Oriented Programming (FSOP) attack against glibc FILE structures (stderr), redirecting control flow to system().
Attack scenarios include CI/CD pipelines performing automated binary analysis, developer workstations running objdump/readelf on untrusted binaries, automated security scanning or malware analysis tools invoking binutils, and package build systems processing third-party code.
Note: This vulnerability is only exploitable when binutils is built with the DLX backend enabled (typically via --enable-targets=all).
References
Impacted products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|
{
"affected": [
{
"affectedData": [
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-15-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-16-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:10"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "mingw-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:6"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:7"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-14-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-14-gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-15-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-15-gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "mingw-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-14-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-15-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gcc-toolset-16-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "gdb",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "mingw-binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/a:redhat:hummingbird:1"
],
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"packageName": "binutils",
"product": "Red Hat Hardened Images",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
},
{
"collectionURL": "https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/package-browser/",
"cpes": [
"cpe:/a:redhat:openshift:4"
],
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"packageName": "rhcos",
"product": "Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4",
"vendor": "Red Hat"
}
],
"source": "secalert@redhat.com"
}
],
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "An out-of-bounds write vulnerability was found in the BFD library\u0027s DLX ELF backend (bfd/elf32-dlx.c) in GNU binutils. The dlx_rtype_to_howto() function maps ELF relocation types to internal howto structures but fails to perform adequate bounds checking on attacker-controlled relocation type values (via ELF32_R_TYPE(r_info)) before indexing into the dlx_elf_howto_table[] array. The DLX relocation type number space is non-contiguous (basic types 0-6, extended types at 0x10000+), but the default case in the switch statement allows arbitrary index values to reach the array access.\n\nA specially crafted ELF/DLX object file can trigger this out-of-bounds write when processed by any BFD-consuming tool (objdump, readelf, strip, ld, nm, objcopy). The vulnerability has been demonstrated to achieve arbitrary code execution via a File Stream Oriented Programming (FSOP) attack against glibc FILE structures (stderr), redirecting control flow to system().\n\nAttack scenarios include CI/CD pipelines performing automated binary analysis, developer workstations running objdump/readelf on untrusted binaries, automated security scanning or malware analysis tools invoking binutils, and package build systems processing third-party code.\n\nNote: This vulnerability is only exploitable when binutils is built with the DLX backend enabled (typically via --enable-targets=all)."
}
],
"id": "CVE-2026-18220",
"lastModified": "2026-07-30T14:15:31.167",
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"cvssData": {
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"attackVector": "LOCAL",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
"baseScore": 7.8,
"baseSeverity": "HIGH",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"userInteraction": "REQUIRED",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 1.8,
"impactScore": 5.9,
"source": "secalert@redhat.com",
"type": "Secondary"
}
],
"ssvcV203": [
{
"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0",
"ssvcData": {
"id": "CVE-2026-18220",
"options": [
{
"exploitation": "none"
},
{
"automatable": "no"
},
{
"technicalImpact": "total"
}
],
"role": "CISA Coordinator",
"timestamp": "2026-07-29T12:08:10.974140Z",
"version": "2.0.3"
}
}
]
},
"published": "2026-07-29T11:16:49.097",
"references": [
{
"source": "secalert@redhat.com",
"url": "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-18220"
},
{
"source": "secalert@redhat.com",
"url": "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2507670"
}
],
"sourceIdentifier": "secalert@redhat.com",
"vulnStatus": "Awaiting Analysis",
"weaknesses": [
{
"description": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "CWE-787"
}
],
"source": "secalert@redhat.com",
"type": "Secondary"
}
]
}
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Experimental. This forecast is provided for visualization only and may change without notice. Do not use it for operational decisions.
Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
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