CVE-2026-3442: Out-of-bounds Read in Red Hat Red Hat Hardened Images
A flaw was found in GNU Binutils. This vulnerability, a heap-based buffer overflow, specifically an out-of-bounds read, exists in the bfd linker component. An attacker could exploit this by convincing a user to process a specially crafted malicious XCOFF object file. Successful exploitation may lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or cause the application to crash, resulting in an application level denial of service.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-3442) exists in the bfd linker component of GNU Binutils used in Red Hat Hardened Images. It is a heap-based buffer overflow caused by an out-of-bounds read when processing maliciously crafted XCOFF object files. Successful exploitation can disclose sensitive information or cause application-level denial of service via crashes. Red Hat has issued security advisories (RHSA-2026:33527 and RHSA-2026:39022) providing updated binutils RPMs (versions 2.45.1-5.1.hum1 and 2.46.1-1.hum1) that fix this vulnerability along with others. The vendor advisories confirm that patches are available and provide instructions for applying updates.
Potential Impact
An attacker who convinces a user to process a malicious XCOFF object file could exploit this vulnerability to read out-of-bounds memory, potentially disclosing sensitive information. Additionally, exploitation may cause the application to crash, resulting in an application-level denial of service. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1 (medium severity), reflecting the local attack vector with user interaction required, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and high confidentiality impact but no integrity impact.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released security updates for Red Hat Hardened Images that include patched binutils packages addressing CVE-2026-3442. Users should apply the updates from advisories RHSA-2026:33527 and RHSA-2026:39022 promptly to remediate this vulnerability. Detailed update instructions are available at https://images.redhat.com/. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.
CVE-2026-3442: Out-of-bounds Read in Red Hat Red Hat Hardened Images
Description
A flaw was found in GNU Binutils. This vulnerability, a heap-based buffer overflow, specifically an out-of-bounds read, exists in the bfd linker component. An attacker could exploit this by convincing a user to process a specially crafted malicious XCOFF object file. Successful exploitation may lead to the disclosure of sensitive information or cause the application to crash, resulting in an application level denial of service.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.1medium
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CVE-2026-3442) exists in the bfd linker component of GNU Binutils used in Red Hat Hardened Images. It is a heap-based buffer overflow caused by an out-of-bounds read when processing maliciously crafted XCOFF object files. Successful exploitation can disclose sensitive information or cause application-level denial of service via crashes. Red Hat has issued security advisories (RHSA-2026:33527 and RHSA-2026:39022) providing updated binutils RPMs (versions 2.45.1-5.1.hum1 and 2.46.1-1.hum1) that fix this vulnerability along with others. The vendor advisories confirm that patches are available and provide instructions for applying updates.
Potential Impact
An attacker who convinces a user to process a malicious XCOFF object file could exploit this vulnerability to read out-of-bounds memory, potentially disclosing sensitive information. Additionally, exploitation may cause the application to crash, resulting in an application-level denial of service. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.1 (medium severity), reflecting the local attack vector with user interaction required, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and high confidentiality impact but no integrity impact.
Mitigation Recommendations
Red Hat has released security updates for Red Hat Hardened Images that include patched binutils packages addressing CVE-2026-3442. Users should apply the updates from advisories RHSA-2026:33527 and RHSA-2026:39022 promptly to remediate this vulnerability. Detailed update instructions are available at https://images.redhat.com/. No additional mitigation steps are indicated by the vendor advisory.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-03-02T14:22:03.906Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-3442","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 69b604929b0f87e88177d6e7
Added to database: 03/15/2026, 01:00:02 UTC
Last enriched: 07/14/2026, 07:56:42 UTC
Last updated: 07/31/2026, 19:22:58 UTC
Views: 151
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