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Openshift Container PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2026-3441

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-03-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
74/100
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
A flaw was found in GNU Binutils. This heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability, specifically an out-of-bounds read in the bfd linker, allows an attacker to gain access to sensitive information. By convincing a user to process a specially crafted XCOFF object file, an attacker can trigger this flaw, potentially leading to information disclosure or an application level denial of service.

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 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in GNU Binutils' bfd linker, specifically an out-of-bounds read flaw when processing specially crafted XCOFF (AIX object) files. This allows attackers to read beyond allocated heap memory boundaries, potentially disclosing sensitive information or causing application-level denial of service.

MitigationRestrict processing of untrusted XCOFF object files in binutils tools (ld, objcopy, etc.) and monitor for updates/patches from distribution vendors. Consider sandboxing or isolating environments where users process object files from untrusted sources.

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
Openshift Container PlatformApplication
Affected:= 4.0
Enterprise LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 6.0= 7.0= 8.0= 9.0= 10.0
BinutilsApplication
Affected:all versions

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
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/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. Identify binutils installation and version
    Run 'rpm -q binutils' (RHEL) or 'ld --version' / 'binutils --version' (general) to find installed binutils packages and their versions
    Affected if binutils is installed and the version falls within all versions (all versions are affected per vendor advisory)
  2. Verify bfd linker component presence
    Check for the presence of the 'ld' linker and 'bfd' library files: 'ld -v' and look for libbfd.* in /usr/lib or /usr/lib64
    Affected if The bfd-based linker (ld) is present and used for object file linking
  3. Confirm XCOFF processing capability is accessible
    Check if binutils supports XCOFF: 'objcopy --help' or 'ld --help' | grep -i xcoff, or test with 'file' command on any XCOFF test file if available
    Affected if XCOFF format support is compiled into binutils (default in most builds, enables processing of AIX object files)
  4. Check for untrusted XCOFF file processing activity
    Review application logs, audit logs (/var/log/audit/audit.log), or process traces for invocations of ld, objcopy, or other binutils tools processing .xcoff or .o files from untrusted sources
    Affected if binutils tools are being used to process XCOFF files from untrusted or external sources
  5. Identify OpenShift Container Platform nodes
    If running OpenShift: 'oc get nodes' and check cluster version: 'oc get clusterversion' to confirm version 4.0 deployment
    Affected if OpenShift Container Platform version 4.0 is deployed (binutils is a dependency in container base images)
  6. Audit binutils tool execution
    Use 'ausearch -k binutils' or check application telemetry/SIEM for recent executions of ld, objcopy, ar, or other bfd-utilizing tools processing object files
    Affected if Any binutils tools that process object files (ld, objcopy, nm, ar, etc.) have been recently executed

You are affected if binutils with bfd linker support is installed and XCOFF object files can be processed by your environment, since all binutils versions contain the vulnerable code path.

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

Restrict processing of untrusted XCOFF object files in binutils tools (ld, objcopy, etc.) and monitor for updates/patches from distribution vendors. Consider sandboxing or isolating environments where users process object files from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Openshift Container Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,480
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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-2026-3441 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data