CVE-2017-6966: gnu binutils Use After Free

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2017-6966 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Use After Free vulnerability in gnu binutils. EPSS estimates a 1.07% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 64.2% of scored vulnerabilities. 1 public exploit is recorded.

Timeline

1. 17-03-2017
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 05-08-2024
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

readelf in GNU Binutils 2.28 has a use-after-free (specifically read-after-free) error while processing multiple, relocated sections in an MSP430 binary. This is caused by mishandling of an invalid symbol index, and mishandling of state across invocations.

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.