How severe is CVE-2017-9040?

CVE-2017-9040 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-2017-9040 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2017-9040?

CVE-2017-9040 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2017-9040?

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

When was CVE-2017-9040 published?

CVE-2017-9040 was published on 2017-05-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2017-9040

CVE-2017-9040 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% (79th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2017-05-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

GNU Binutils 2017-04-03 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash), related to the process_mips_specific function in readelf.c, via a crafted ELF file that triggers a large memory-allocation attempt.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-9040?: GNU Binutils 2017-04-03 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and application crash), related to the process_mips_specific function in readelf.c, via a crafted ELF file that triggers a large memory-allocation attempt.
How severe is CVE-2017-9040?: CVE-2017-9040 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-2017-9040 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-9040?: CVE-2017-9040 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2017-9040?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2017-9040 published?: CVE-2017-9040 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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