How severe is CVE-2021-45078?

CVE-2021-45078 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-2021-45078 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-45078?

CVE-2021-45078 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-45078?

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-2021-45078 published?

CVE-2021-45078 was published on 2021-12-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-45078

CVE-2021-45078 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (67th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Gnu Binutils
Published: 2021-12-15
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

stab_xcoff_builtin_type in stabs.c in GNU Binutils through 2.37 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact, as demonstrated by an out-of-bounds write. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2018-12699.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-45078?: stab_xcoff_builtin_type in stabs.c in GNU Binutils through 2.37 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact, as demonstrated by an out-of-bounds write. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2018-12699.
How severe is CVE-2021-45078?: CVE-2021-45078 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-2021-45078 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (67th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-45078?: CVE-2021-45078 primarily affects Gnu Binutils. In total, 8 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-45078?: 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-2021-45078 published?: CVE-2021-45078 was published on 2021-12-15 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (8)

cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:ontap_select_deploy_administration_utility:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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…

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