CVE-2026-6845: NULL Pointer Dereference in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
CVE-2026-6845 is a vulnerability in the binutils package, specifically in the readelf utility on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. It allows a local attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by tricking a user into processing a specially crafted ELF file. This can lead to system unresponsiveness or program crashes due to a NULL pointer dereference. The vulnerability has a medium severity with a CVSS score of 5. No official patch or remediation level has been confirmed from the vendor advisory at this time.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability involves a NULL pointer dereference in the readelf utility of binutils on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. When a local attacker convinces a user to process a maliciously crafted ELF file, it can cause a denial of service by crashing the program or exhausting system resources. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates the attack requires local access, low complexity, low privileges, and user interaction, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity but high impact on availability. The vendor advisory does not currently specify a remediation or patch status.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation results in denial of service conditions, causing the affected system or application to become unresponsive or crash. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. The attack requires local access and user interaction, limiting the attack surface to local users who can trick others into processing crafted ELF files.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6845 for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid processing untrusted ELF files with the readelf utility and limit local user permissions to reduce exposure.
CVE-2026-6845: NULL Pointer Dereference in Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Description
CVE-2026-6845 is a vulnerability in the binutils package, specifically in the readelf utility on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. It allows a local attacker to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) by tricking a user into processing a specially crafted ELF file. This can lead to system unresponsiveness or program crashes due to a NULL pointer dereference. The vulnerability has a medium severity with a CVSS score of 5. No official patch or remediation level has been confirmed from the vendor advisory at this time.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability involves a NULL pointer dereference in the readelf utility of binutils on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. When a local attacker convinces a user to process a maliciously crafted ELF file, it can cause a denial of service by crashing the program or exhausting system resources. The CVSS 3.1 vector indicates the attack requires local access, low complexity, low privileges, and user interaction, with no impact on confidentiality or integrity but high impact on availability. The vendor advisory does not currently specify a remediation or patch status.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation results in denial of service conditions, causing the affected system or application to become unresponsive or crash. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact. The attack requires local access and user interaction, limiting the attack surface to local users who can trick others into processing crafted ELF files.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the Red Hat advisory at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6845 for current remediation guidance. Until an official fix is available, avoid processing untrusted ELF files with the readelf utility and limit local user permissions to reduce exposure.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- redhat
- Date Reserved
- 2026-04-22T07:41:36.781Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6845","vendor":"Red Hat"}]
Threat ID: 69e8877219fe3cd2cd8093fa
Added to database: 4/22/2026, 8:31:46 AM
Last enriched: 4/22/2026, 8:46:26 AM
Last updated: 4/22/2026, 9:52:38 AM
Views: 5
Community Reviews
0 reviewsCrowdsource mitigation strategies, share intel context, and vote on the most helpful responses. Sign in to add your voice and help keep defenders ahead.
Want to contribute mitigation steps or threat intel context? Sign in or create an account to join the community discussion.
Actions
Updates to AI analysis require Pro Console access. Upgrade inside Console → Billing.
Need more coverage?
Upgrade to Pro Console for AI refresh and higher limits.
For incident response and remediation, OffSeq services can help resolve threats faster.
Latest Threats
Check if your credentials are on the dark web
Instant breach scanning across billions of leaked records. Free tier available.