Buffer overflow in getsym in tekhex.c in libbfd in Free Software Foundation GNU Binutils before 20060423, as used by GNU strings, allows con
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 33/100)
- Public proof-of-concept code exists (Exploit-DB); there is no record of exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 14.4% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 96.5% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: binutils (Debian:12) 2.17-1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to binutils (Debian:12) 2.17-1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Buffer overflow in getsym in tekhex.c in libbfd in Free Software Foundation GNU Binutils before 20060423, as used by GNU strings, allows context-dependent attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a file with a crafted Tektronix Hex Format (TekHex) record in which the length character is not a valid hexadecimal character.
- Published
- May 15, 2006
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 14.5% · 97th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-787
Report tools
Action score
33
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 29 / 40 · 7.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 4 / 30 · 14.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- Proof of concept exists, no weaponized module
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| gnu | binutils | cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- gnu binutilsbefore 2.17
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | binutils | before 2.17-1 | 2.17-1 |
Same product
gnu: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2018-12699finish_stab in stabs.c in GNU Binutils 2.30 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unsp40Plan
- CVE-2017-7614elflink.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.28, has a "member access within null po40Plan
- CVE-2014-9939ihex.c in GNU Binutils before 2.26 contains a stack buffer overflow when printing bad bytes in Intel Hex objects.40Plan
- CVE-2017-7226The pe_ILF_object_p function in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.28, is vulnerable to37Monitor
- CVE-2017-6969readelf in GNU Binutils 2.28 is vulnerable to a heap-based buffer over-read while processing corrupt RL78 binaries.37Monitor
- CVE-2020-19726An issue was discovered in binutils libbfd.c 2.36 relating to the auxiliary symbol data allows attackers to read or write to system memory o35Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:binutils | 2.17-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
Proof of concept available
A public proof of concept or detection signature exists. Exploit knowledge is out there; don't delay patching.
Evidence
- Exploit-DB entry ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | dos | 2006-05-11 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- First PoC-5 d
- Published
- TodayOct 15, 2026+7458 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- low · data can be read
- Integrity
- low · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- low · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- Low
- Integrity impact
- Low
- Availability impact
- Low
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-787 · Out-of-bounds WriteCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (13 more)Show less
- secunia.com/advisories/20188
- secunia.com/advisories/20531
- secunia.com/advisories/20550
- secunia.com/advisories/22932
- secunia.com/advisories/27441
- www.mail-archive.com/bug-binutils%40gnu.org/msg01516.html
- www.novell.com/linux/security/advisories/2006_26_sr.html
- www.securitytracker.com/id?1018872
- www.trustix.org/errata/2006/0034/
- www.ubuntu.com/usn/usn-292-1
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2006/1924
- www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2007/3665
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/26644
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.