GNU Binutils ld ldelfgen.c link_order_scan memory leak
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Passive
- Attack complexity
- High
- Attack requirements
- None
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · Low
- Fix status
- Deferred Red Hat: fix deferred
Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-401.
Summary
A vulnerability was found in GNU Binutils 2.43 and classified as problematic. Affected by this issue is the function link_order_scan of the file ld/ldelfgen.c of the component ld. The manipulation leads to memory leak. The attack may be launched remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation is known to be difficult. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The code maintainer explains: "I'm not going to commit some of the leak fixes I've been working on to the 2.44 branch due to concern that would destabilise ld. All of the reported leaks in this bugzilla have been fixed on binutils master."
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- Poc
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-1148
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-gqj6-fppc-vr34
- 2026-10-25 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile
References
More GNU Binutils vulnerabilities
- TI-2020-13695 An issue was discovered in binutils libbfd.c 2.36 relating to the auxiliary symbol data… CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2025-42907 GNU Binutils thru 2.46 readelf contains a double free vulnerability when processing a… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-41071 An issue was discovered in function d_print_comp_inner in file cp-demangle.c in BinUtils… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-41069 An issue was discovered in function d_discriminator in file cp-demangle.c in BinUtils… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2025-41068 A buffer overflow vulnerability in function gnu_special in file cplus-dem.c in BinUtils… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-21105 Heap-based Buffer Overflow in function bfd_getl32 in Binutils objdump 3.37. CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
Sources
- CVE-2025-1148 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-1148 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-gqj6-fppc-vr34 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-1148 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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