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7.5
HIGH CVSS 3.0
CVE-2017-15938
GNU Binutils BFD DWARF2 Form Address Reference Denial of Service
Description

dwarf2.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29, miscalculates DW_FORM_ref_addr die refs in the case of a relocatable object file, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (find_abstract_instance_name invalid memory read, segmentation fault, and application crash).

INFO

Published Date :

Oct. 27, 2017, 9:29 p.m.

Last Modified :

April 20, 2025, 1:37 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

[email protected]
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2017-15938 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 Gnu binutils
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 2.0 MEDIUM [email protected]
CVSS 3.0 HIGH [email protected]
Solution
Update binutils packages to address a denial-of-service vulnerability.
  • Update binutils packages to the latest available version.
  • If needed, use your system's package manager to update.
Public PoC/Exploit Available at Github

CVE-2017-15938 has a 5 public PoC/Exploit available at Github. Go to the Public Exploits tab to see the list.

References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools

Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to CVE-2017-15938.

URL Resource
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101610
https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2017/10/24/binutils-invalid-memory-read-in-find_abstract_instance_name-dwarf2-c/ Patch Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22209 Issue Tracking Patch Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101610
https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2017/10/24/binutils-invalid-memory-read-in-find_abstract_instance_name-dwarf2-c/ Patch Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22209 Issue Tracking Patch Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2017-15938 is associated with the following CWEs:

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)

Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC) stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2017-15938 weaknesses.

CAPEC-8: Buffer Overflow in an API Call Buffer Overflow in an API Call CAPEC-9: Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities Buffer Overflow in Local Command-Line Utilities CAPEC-10: Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables Buffer Overflow via Environment Variables CAPEC-14: Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow Client-side Injection-induced Buffer Overflow CAPEC-24: Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow Filter Failure through Buffer Overflow CAPEC-42: MIME Conversion MIME Conversion CAPEC-44: Overflow Binary Resource File Overflow Binary Resource File CAPEC-45: Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links Buffer Overflow via Symbolic Links CAPEC-46: Overflow Variables and Tags Overflow Variables and Tags CAPEC-47: Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion Buffer Overflow via Parameter Expansion CAPEC-100: Overflow Buffers Overflow Buffers CAPEC-123: Buffer Manipulation Buffer Manipulation

We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).

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Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.

The following list is the news that have been mention CVE-2017-15938 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2017-15938 vulnerability over time.

Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.

  • CVE Modified by af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    Nov. 21, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101610
    Added Reference https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2017/10/24/binutils-invalid-memory-read-in-find_abstract_instance_name-dwarf2-c/
    Added Reference https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01
    Added Reference https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22209
    Added Reference https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    May. 14, 2024

    Action Type Old Value New Value
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Nov. 07, 2023

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference MITRE https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a [No types assigned]
    Removed Reference MITRE https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Jan. 09, 2018

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201801-01 [No Types Assigned]
  • CVE Modified by [email protected]

    Nov. 02, 2017

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101610 [No Types Assigned]
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Oct. 31, 2017

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V2 (AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P)
    Added CVSS V3 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    Changed Reference Type https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a No Types Assigned https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=1b86808a86077722ee4f42ff97f836b12420bb2a Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22209 No Types Assigned https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22209 Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
    Changed Reference Type https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2017/10/24/binutils-invalid-memory-read-in-find_abstract_instance_name-dwarf2-c/ No Types Assigned https://blogs.gentoo.org/ago/2017/10/24/binutils-invalid-memory-read-in-find_abstract_instance_name-dwarf2-c/ Patch, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
    Added CWE CWE-119
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:2.29:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 7.5
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Base CVSS Score: 5
Access Vector
Access Complexity
Authentication
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact
Exploit Prediction

EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days.

0.48 }} -0.29%

score

0.64304

percentile