How severe is CVE-2017-17121?

CVE-2017-17121 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2017-17121 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (74th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-17121?

CVE-2017-17121 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-17121?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2017-17121 published?

CVE-2017-17121 was published on 2017-12-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-17121

CVE-2017-17121 is a high-severity vulnerability in Gnu Binutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-119.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (74th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-119
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2017-12-04
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29.1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory access violation) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a COFF binary in which a relocation refers to a location after the end of the to-be-relocated section.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-17121?: The Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29.1, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory access violation) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a COFF binary in which a relocation refers to a location after the end of the to-be-relocated section.
How severe is CVE-2017-17121?: CVE-2017-17121 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2017-17121 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (74th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-17121?: CVE-2017-17121 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-17121?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2017-17121 published?: CVE-2017-17121 was published on 2017-12-04 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:2.29.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Gnu Binutils

CVE-2018-12699 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): finish_stab in stabs.c in GNU Binutils 2.30 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow)…
CVE-2017-7614 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): elflink.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.28, has a "member…
CVE-2014-9939 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): ihex.c in GNU Binutils before 2.26 contains a stack buffer overflow when printing bad bytes in Intel Hex objects.
CVE-2017-7226 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): The pe_ILF_object_p function in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils…
CVE-2017-6969 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): readelf in GNU Binutils 2.28 is vulnerable to a heap-based buffer over-read while processing corrupt RL78 binaries. The…
CVE-2020-19726 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in binutils libbfd.c 2.36 relating to the auxiliary symbol data allows attackers to read or…

All CVEs affecting Gnu Binutils →

Other CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-2778 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the DOM: Core & HTML component. This vulnerability was fixed in…
CVE-2026-2776 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to incorrect boundary conditions in the Telemetry component in External Software. This vulnerability…
CVE-2025-1866 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer vulnerability in warmcat libwebsockets allows…
CVE-2022-27625 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2022-27624 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability regarding improper restriction of operations within the bounds of a memory buffer is found in the…
CVE-2020-11896 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Treck TCP/IP stack before 6.0.1.66 allows Remote Code Execution, related to IPv4 tunneling.

Browse all CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) vulnerabilities →