How severe is CVE-2017-9038?

CVE-2017-9038 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-2017-9038 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-9038?

CVE-2017-9038 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-9038?

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

When was CVE-2017-9038 published?

CVE-2017-9038 was published on 2017-05-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-9038

CVE-2017-9038 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (80th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2017-05-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

GNU Binutils 2.28 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, related to the byte_get_little_endian function in elfcomm.c, the get_unwind_section_word function in readelf.c, and ARM unwind information that contains invalid word offsets.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-9038?: GNU Binutils 2.28 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, related to the byte_get_little_endian function in elfcomm.c, the get_unwind_section_word function in readelf.c, and ARM unwind information that contains invalid word offsets.
How severe is CVE-2017-9038?: CVE-2017-9038 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-2017-9038 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-9038?: CVE-2017-9038 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-9038?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-9038 published?: CVE-2017-9038 was published on 2017-05-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:2.28:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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