CVE-2025-69651
CVE-2025-69651 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)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (15th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-208347
- Weakness: CWE-476
- Affected product: Gnu Binutils
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
GNU Binutils thru 2.46 readelf contains a vulnerability that leads to an invalid pointer free when processing a crafted ELF binary with malformed relocation or symbol data. If dump_relocations returns early due to parsing errors, the internal all_relocations array may remain partially uninitialized. Later, process_got_section_contents() may attempt to free an invalid r_symbol pointer, triggering memory corruption checks in glibc and causing the program to terminate with SIGABRT. No evidence of further memory corruption or code execution was observed; the impact is limited to denial of service. NOTE: this is disputed by third parties because the observed behavior occurred only in pre-release code and did not affect any tagged version.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-69651?
- GNU Binutils thru 2.46 readelf contains a vulnerability that leads to an invalid pointer free when processing a crafted ELF binary with malformed relocation or symbol data. If dump_relocations returns early due to parsing errors, the internal all_relocations array may remain partially uninitialized. Later, process_got_section_contents() may attempt to free an invalid r_symbol pointer, triggering memory corruption checks in glibc and causing the program to terminate with SIGABRT. No evidence of further memory corruption or code execution was observed; the impact is limited to denial of service. NOTE: this is disputed by third parties because the observed behavior occurred only in pre-release code and did not affect any tagged version.
- How severe is CVE-2025-69651?
- CVE-2025-69651 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-2025-69651 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (15th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2025-69651?
- CVE-2025-69651 affects Gnu Binutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-69651?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- Does CVE-2025-69651 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2025-69651 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-208347.
- When was CVE-2025-69651 published?
- CVE-2025-69651 was published on 2026-03-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=33698
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=33700
- https://sourceware.org/git/?p=binutils-gdb.git;a=commitdiff;h=81e90cf63a10ad11772c2437c8f2a88f1a00c739
- https://sourceware.org/git/?p=binutils-gdb.git;a=commitdiff;h=ea4bc025abdba85a90e26e13f551c16a44bfa92
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=ea4bc025abdba85a90e26e13f551c16a44bfa921
Affected products (1)
- cpe:2.3:a:gnu:binutils:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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