How severe is CVE-2018-6543?

CVE-2018-6543 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-2018-6543 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-6543?

CVE-2018-6543 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-6543?

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-2018-6543 published?

CVE-2018-6543 was published on 2018-02-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-6543

CVE-2018-6543 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-190.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-190
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2018-02-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In GNU Binutils 2.30, there's an integer overflow in the function load_specific_debug_section() in objdump.c, which results in `malloc()` with 0 size. A crafted ELF file allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-6543?: In GNU Binutils 2.30, there's an integer overflow in the function load_specific_debug_section() in objdump.c, which results in `malloc()` with 0 size. A crafted ELF file allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact.
How severe is CVE-2018-6543?: CVE-2018-6543 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-2018-6543 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-6543?: CVE-2018-6543 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-6543?: 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-2018-6543 published?: CVE-2018-6543 was published on 2018-02-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:2.30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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