Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library…
Priority LOW 37CWE-189Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- — Not recorded in CVSS 2.0
- Attack complexity
- Medium
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- Partial · Partial · Partial
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 2.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-189 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library, as used in elfutils 0.153 and possibly through 0.158 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a malformed compressed debug section in an ELF file, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.04031 90th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Fixed No fixed version in the sources yet
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | all versions | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- — Vendor— Affected all versions Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.153:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.153 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.154:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.154 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.155:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.155 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.156:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.156 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.157:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.157 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
| cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.158:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 0.158 | Vulnerable | Elfutils Project |
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.153:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.153 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.154:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.154 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.155:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.155 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.156:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.156 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.157:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.157 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
- cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.158:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 0.158 Vulnerable ·Elfutils Project
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux ComputeNode Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation Optional (v. 7) | Fixed | — |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2014-0172
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-q6c9-79p5-7pgm
References
More Elfutils Project Elfutils vulnerabilities
- TI-2021-12787 In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2020-13973 The libcpu component which is used by libasm of elfutils version 0.177 (git 47780c9e)… CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
- TI-2025-01176 GNU elfutils eu-read readelf.c handle_dynamic_symtab null pointer dereference CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 4.8
- TI-2024-16666 elfutils v0.189 was discovered to contain a NULL pointer dereference via the handle_verdef() function at readelf.c. CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 4.0
- TI-2018-11755 libelf/elf_end.c in elfutils 0.173 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service… CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2018-06324 elfutils 0.170 has a buffer over-read in the ebl_dynamic_tag_name function of… CVSS 3.0HIGH 7.8
Sources
- CVE-2014-0172 · CVE Program
- CVE-2014-0172 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-q6c9-79p5-7pgm · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2014-0172 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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