dbcve.org
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system · Redhat

CVE-2018-7642

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-03-02
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The swap_std_reloc_in function in aoutx.h in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.30, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (aout_32_swap_std_reloc_out NULL pointer dereference and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, as demonstrated by objcopy.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the swap_std_reloc_in function in aoutx.h within the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (libbfd) in GNU Binutils 2.30. When processing a specially crafted ELF file via objcopy, the function attempts to dereference a NULL pointer during the aout_32_swap_std_reloc_out operation, causing the application to crash and resulting in denial of service.

MitigationUpdate GNU Binutils to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Avoid processing untrusted ELF files with objcopy or other BFD-based tools until the update is applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
BinutilsApplication
Affected:= 2.30

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed binutils version
    Run 'objcopy --version' or 'binutils --version' to identify the installed version of binutils containing objcopy
    Affected if The version shown is 2.30 exactly, which contains the vulnerable code in libbfd
  2. Confirm objcopy binary availability
    Run 'which objcopy' or 'objcopy --help' to verify objcopy is installed
    Affected if objcopy is present and is from the vulnerable binutils 2.30 package
  3. Identify the BFD library version
    Check the libbfd version by running 'ld --version' or inspecting the library file directly (typically /usr/lib/libbfd.so or similar path)
    Affected if The linked libbfd library corresponds to binutils version 2.30
  4. Verify ELF file processing capability
    Attempt to process any ELF file with objcopy using a command like 'objcopy -O elf32-little <input> <output>' on a test ELF file
    Affected if objcopy successfully processes ELF files, indicating the vulnerable code path is reachable

If binutils version 2.30 is installed and objcopy is available, the environment is vulnerable when processing ELF files with objcopy, as the NULL pointer dereference in the swap_std_reloc_in function can be triggered by specially crafted input.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update GNU Binutils to a version that includes the fix for this vulnerability. Avoid processing untrusted ELF files with objcopy or other BFD-based tools until the update is applied.

Fix this in Enterprise Linux Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-7642 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-7642 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data