How severe is CVE-2017-15939?

CVE-2017-15939 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-15939 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-15939?

CVE-2017-15939 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-15939?

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

When was CVE-2017-15939 published?

CVE-2017-15939 was published on 2017-10-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-15939

CVE-2017-15939 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-476.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (75th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2017-10-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

dwarf2.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29, mishandles NULL files in a .debug_line file table, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, related to concat_filename. NOTE: this issue is caused by an incomplete fix for CVE-2017-15023.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-15939?: dwarf2.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29, mishandles NULL files in a .debug_line file table, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, related to concat_filename. NOTE: this issue is caused by an incomplete fix for CVE-2017-15023.
How severe is CVE-2017-15939?: CVE-2017-15939 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-15939 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-15939?: CVE-2017-15939 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-15939?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-15939 published?: CVE-2017-15939 was published on 2017-10-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:2.29:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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