CVE-2017-14939

Description

decode_line_info in dwarf2.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29, mishandles a length calculation, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer over-read and application crash) via a crafted ELF file, related to read_1_byte.

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	binutils	2.29.90.20180122-1	—
Debian 13	binutils	2.29.90.20180122-1	—
Debian 12	binutils	2.29.90.20180122-1	—

Ubuntu

Security tracker ↗

Release	Package	Fixed in	Advisory
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS	binutils	2.26.1-1ubuntu1~16.04.8+esm1	USN-4336-2
Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS	binutils	No fix yet	—

Public exploits

Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.

Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.

Exploit-DB 1

binutils 2.29.51.20170921 - 'read_1_byte' Heap Buffer Overflow EDB-42970 · dos · Oct 10, 2017

Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.

Advisories 1

USN-4336-2 binutils vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Jun 25, 2026

decode_line_info in dwarf2.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.29, mishandles a le…