Description
Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library, as used in elfutils 0.153 and possibly through 0.158 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a malformed compressed debug section in an ELF file, which triggers a heap-based buffer overflow.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | elfutils | 0.158-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | elfutils | 0.158-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | elfutils | 0.158-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | elfutils | 0.158-0ubuntu5.1 | USN-2188-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | elfutils +6 | 0.160-1.el7 | RHEA-2015:0369 |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | elfutils | 0.167-1.5 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10570-1 |
Advisories 3
- RHEA-2015:0369 Red Hat Enhancement Advisory: elfutils bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- USN-2188-1 elfutils vulnerability Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10570-1 elfutils-0.167-1.5 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- [oss-security] 20140409 Heap-based buffer overflow in libdw/elfutils (CVE-2014-0172) mailing-list
- [elfutils-devel] 20140409 [PATCH] CVE-2014-0172 Check for overflow before calling malloc to uncompress data. mailing-list
- GLSA-201612-32 vendor-advisory
- 66714 vdb-entry
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1085663
- USN-2188-1 vendor-advisory