How severe is CVE-2012-3509?

CVE-2012-3509 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.

Is CVE-2012-3509 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2012-3509?

CVE-2012-3509 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2012-3509?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2012-3509 published?

CVE-2012-3509 was published on 2012-09-05 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2012-3509

CVE-2012-3509 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-189.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 2.0 base score 5.0)
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (88th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-189
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2012-09-05
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

Multiple integer overflows in the (1) _objalloc_alloc function in objalloc.c and (2) objalloc_alloc macro in include/objalloc.h in GNU libiberty, as used by binutils 2.22, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via vectors related to the "addition of CHUNK_HEADER_SIZE to the length," which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-3509?: Multiple integer overflows in the (1) _objalloc_alloc function in objalloc.c and (2) objalloc_alloc macro in include/objalloc.h in GNU libiberty, as used by binutils 2.22, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via vectors related to the "addition of CHUNK_HEADER_SIZE to the length," which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
How severe is CVE-2012-3509?: CVE-2012-3509 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 5.0, rated medium severity.
Is CVE-2012-3509 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (88th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2012-3509?: CVE-2012-3509 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2012-3509?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2012-3509 published?: CVE-2012-3509 was published on 2012-09-05 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:gnu:libiberty:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:10.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:7.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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