CVE-2025-1182 in Binutils
Summary
by MITRE • 02/11/2025
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in GNU Binutils 2.43. Affected is the function bfd_elf_reloc_symbol_deleted_p of the file bfd/elflink.c of the component ld. The manipulation leads to memory corruption. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitability is told to be difficult. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The patch is identified as b425859021d17adf62f06fb904797cf8642986ad. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/18/2026
This critical vulnerability in GNU Binutils 2.43 represents a significant memory corruption flaw within the linker component that could enable remote code execution. The vulnerability exists in the bfd_elf_reloc_symbol_deleted_p function located in bfd/elflink.c, which is part of the ld (linker) component responsible for processing object files and creating executable binaries. The flaw occurs during the handling of ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) relocations, specifically when processing symbol deletion operations that can lead to improper memory management and buffer overflows.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-787, representing out-of-bounds write operations. The memory corruption manifests when the linker processes malformed ELF files containing specially crafted relocation entries that trigger the vulnerable function. The attack complexity is rated as high due to the specialized nature of creating exploit payloads that can manipulate the linker's symbol handling mechanisms. This requires deep understanding of ELF format internals and the specific memory layout patterns that trigger the corruption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows for remote exploitation through maliciously crafted ELF files that could be encountered during normal linking operations. An attacker could potentially deliver a malicious binary through various attack vectors including software distribution channels, build systems, or shared libraries. The exploitability difficulty rating indicates that while not trivial, the vulnerability has been publicly disclosed and may be leveraged by threat actors with sufficient technical capability. This creates a significant risk for systems that process untrusted binary inputs, particularly build servers, continuous integration pipelines, and software distribution platforms.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the official patch identified by commit hash b425859021d17adf62f06fb904797cf8642986ad which addresses the memory corruption issue by implementing proper bounds checking and validation of symbol deletion operations within the ELF linking process. Organizations should prioritize patching their GNU Binutils installations and consider implementing additional security measures such as static analysis of binary inputs, sandboxed build environments, and monitoring for unusual linking activities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through linker manipulation and represents a critical threat to software supply chain security and build system integrity.