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CVE-2026-19548: Binutils: binutils: multiple use-after-free in add_archive_element via lto plugin processing

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.16% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: azl3 binutils 2.41-13 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes; azl3 binutils 2.41-14 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to azl3 binutils 2.41-13 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes; azl3 binutils 2.41-14 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes 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

Multiple Use-After-Free vulnerabilities were found in the add_archive_element function in ld/ldmain.c of the GNU linker (ld), a component of binutils. The root cause is that plugin_maybe_claim() in ld/plugin.c frees the original BFD object via bfd_close/_bfd_delete_bfd when entry->the_bfd->my_archive == NULL, but the caller retains both the original abfd parameter and a shallow copy (orig_input.the_bfd) as dangling pointers. These dangling pointers are subsequently dereferenced at three distinct locations in add_archive_element: 1. Line ~1442: accessing abfd->my_archive via bfd_usrdata(abfd->my_archive) 2. Line ~1493: multiple accesses to abfd and abfd->my_archive in a conditional check and bfd_get_filename call 3. Line ~1525: dereferencing the shallow copy orig_input.the_bfd->my_archive in trace/verbose logging The vulnerability is triggered when LTO plugins are active (link_info.lto_plugin_active is true) and the input object has abfd->my_archive == NULL, which is a valid state for standalone object files. Red Hat builds binutils with --enable-plugins and --enable-lto, confirming the vulnerable code path is compiled in and reachable. An attacker who can supply a crafted object or archive file to a build process using LTO-enabled linking could exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service (linker crash via segmentation fault). Arbitrary code execution is theoretically possible through heap manipulation but is substantially mitigated by hardening measures including stack protector, FORTIFY_SOURCE, ASLR, and PIE. The attack surface is limited to build-time environments — the linker is a development tool not exposed in production runtime. The most realistic exploitation scenario is a supply chain attack introducing a crafted object file as a build dependency in CI/CD pipelines or development environments.

Published
Aug 12, 2026
Updated
Nov 6, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 6th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · redhat
5.5
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

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  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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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.

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Affected 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.

VendorProduct
redhathardened images
redhatopenshift container platform
redhatenterprise linux

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (redhat). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

    • all versionsunknown

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat Hardened Images

    • 2.46.1-1.4.hum1 and laternot affected · rpm

  • Red Hat Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI)

    • all versionsunknown

  • Red Hat Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4

    • all versionsaffected
    • all versionsaffected

  • Red Hat Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 5

    • all versionsaffected
Affected versions · NVD (7)

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • redhat enterprise linux10.0
  • redhat enterprise linux6.0
  • redhat enterprise linux7.0
  • redhat enterprise linux8.0
  • redhat enterprise linux9.0
  • redhat hardened imagesall versions
  • redhat openshift container platform4.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12binutilsfrom 0—
openSUSE:Tumbleweedbinutilsbefore 2.47-2.12.47-2.1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1binutilsbefore 0:2.46.1-1.4.hum10:2.46.1-1.4.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1binutils-develbefore 0:2.46.1-1.4.hum10:2.46.1-1.4.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1binutils-goldbefore 0:2.46.1-1.4.hum10:2.46.1-1.4.hum1
Red Hat:hummingbird:1binutils-gprofngbefore 0:2.46.1-1.4.hum10:2.46.1-1.4.hum1

Same product

redhat: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-71226Libkcapi: memory corruption via uncanceled aio requests on error in libkcapi's one-shot aio path
    29Monitor
  • CVE-2026-71225Libkcapi: iv reuse in libkcapi one-shot symmetric cipher chunking causes cipher state reset across chunk boundaries
    26Monitor
  • CVE-2026-13757P11-kit: stack exhaustion via unbounded recursion in rpc attribute parsing
    24Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-13595Jun 29, 2026 · Util-linux: util-linux: heap use-after-free in libblkid nested partition probing
    21Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-71227Aug 5, 2026 · Libkcapi: infinite loop denial of service in libkcapi _kcapi_aio_read_all() due to unhandled io_getevents() timeout return
    20Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-19617Aug 14, 2026 · Libdm: lvm2: libdm: denial of service via uncontrolled recursion in config parser
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
azl3 binutils 2.41-13 on Azure Linux 3.0Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 binutils 2.41-14 on Azure Linux 3.0Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
opensuse:binutils2.47-2.1 · openSUSE:TumbleweedPackage registry (OSV)
red hat:binutils0:2.46.1-1.4.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)
red hat:binutils-devel0:2.46.1-1.4.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)
red hat:binutils-gold0:2.46.1-1.4.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)
red hat:binutils-gprofng0:2.46.1-1.4.hum1 · Red Hat:hummingbird:1Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-712267 days apartLibkcapi: memory corruption via uncanceled aio requests on error in libkcapi's one-shot aio path
    29Monitor
  • CVE-2026-1359544 days apartUtil-linux: util-linux: heap use-after-free in libblkid nested partition probing
    21Monitor

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-secondary

Root cause

After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-416 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

c
free(dev->buf);/* ... another thread is still running ... */process(dev->buf);

Fixed

c
lock(&dev->lock);free(dev->buf);dev->buf = NULL;unlock(&dev->lock);

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.

References

Show all references (2 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records