CVE-2025-3198 in Binutils
Summary
by MITRE • 04/04/2025
A vulnerability has been found in GNU Binutils 2.43/2.44 and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is the function display_info of the file binutils/bucomm.c of the component objdump. The manipulation leads to memory leak. An attack has to be approached locally. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The patch is named ba6ad3a18cb26b79e0e3b84c39f707535bbc344d. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-3198 represents a memory leak flaw within GNU Binutils version 2.43 and 2.44, specifically affecting the objdump utility's display_info function in the binutils/bucomm.c file. This issue falls under the category of memory management vulnerabilities that can lead to resource exhaustion and system instability. The vulnerability is classified as problematic due to its potential to cause denial of service conditions when exploited, particularly in environments where binutils tools are frequently used for binary analysis and debugging operations.
The technical flaw manifests in the display_info function which fails to properly manage memory allocation and deallocation during the processing of object file information. When objdump processes certain binary formats or performs specific operations, the function does not correctly release previously allocated memory resources, resulting in gradual memory consumption that can eventually lead to system performance degradation or complete system crashes. This memory leak vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within a core system utility that is widely used by developers, system administrators, and security professionals for analyzing binary files and debugging applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory consumption issues, as it creates potential attack vectors for local privilege escalation and system compromise. Since the vulnerability requires local access to exploit, it can be leveraged by malicious users with system-level privileges to exhaust available memory resources, potentially causing system instability or denial of service conditions that affect legitimate system operations. The public disclosure of the exploit increases the risk profile significantly, as attackers can now readily implement this memory leak to target systems running affected versions of GNU Binutils.
Security practitioners should prioritize patching systems running GNU Binutils 2.43 or 2.44 versions, as the provided patch identifier ba6ad3a18cb26b79e0e3b84c39f707535bbc344d specifically addresses this memory leak issue. The patch resolves the improper memory management within the display_info function by ensuring all allocated memory is properly freed after use, following established secure coding practices and guidelines. Organizations should conduct immediate vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected versions and implement the patch as a critical security measure. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which describes improper release of memory, and represents a significant concern for compliance with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 security requirements for memory management and resource allocation. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a resource exhaustion technique that can be used in combination with other attack vectors to create more sophisticated compromise scenarios, making it essential for security teams to monitor and remediate this vulnerability across their infrastructure.