CVE-2025-1153 Overview
A memory corruption vulnerability has been identified in GNU Binutils versions 2.43 and 2.44. This vulnerability affects the bfd_set_format function within the format.c file. When exploited, malicious input manipulation can trigger memory corruption, potentially leading to application instability or denial of service conditions.
Critical Impact
Memory corruption in the bfd_set_format function could allow remote attackers to cause denial of service through crafted input, though exploitation complexity is high.
Affected Products
- GNU Binutils 2.43
- GNU Binutils 2.44
Discovery Timeline
- 2025-02-10 - CVE-2025-1153 published to NVD
- 2025-04-04 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2025-1153
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability stems from improper buffer restriction operations (CWE-119) in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library, a core component of GNU Binutils. The bfd_set_format function in format.c fails to properly validate or handle certain input conditions, leading to memory corruption when processing malformed binary files.
GNU Binutils is a collection of binary tools including the GNU linker, assembler, and various utilities for working with object files. The BFD library provides a common interface to handle different object file formats. When the bfd_set_format function encounters specially crafted input, memory corruption can occur, potentially resulting in crashes or undefined behavior.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction, as a victim would need to process a malicious binary file using one of the affected Binutils utilities. The attack complexity is considered high, making real-world exploitation difficult.
Root Cause
The root cause is classified as CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer). The bfd_set_format function does not adequately constrain memory operations when processing certain input, allowing memory corruption to occur during format handling operations.
Attack Vector
The attack can be launched remotely by providing a maliciously crafted binary file to a system running vulnerable versions of GNU Binutils. An attacker would need to convince a user to process the malicious file using tools like objdump, nm, readelf, or similar utilities that leverage the BFD library.
The vulnerability requires user interaction and has high attack complexity, meaning successful exploitation requires specific conditions to be met. The impact is primarily limited to availability, potentially causing application crashes through memory corruption.
Detection Methods for CVE-2025-1153
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected crashes or segmentation faults when processing binary files with GNU Binutils utilities
- Core dumps generated by Binutils applications such as objdump, nm, readelf, or as
- Unusual memory consumption patterns by BFD library-dependent processes
- Application hangs or abnormal termination during object file parsing operations
Detection Strategies
- Monitor system logs for crash reports involving GNU Binutils components
- Implement file integrity monitoring for binary files before processing with Binutils
- Deploy application-level monitoring for Binutils utilities to detect abnormal behavior
- Use memory sanitizers (ASan, MSan) in development environments to catch memory corruption issues
Monitoring Recommendations
- Track version information of installed GNU Binutils packages across your infrastructure
- Monitor for security advisories from the GNU project and downstream distributions
- Implement automated vulnerability scanning to identify systems running affected versions 2.43 or 2.44
- Review logs from development and build systems that heavily utilize Binutils
How to Mitigate CVE-2025-1153
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade GNU Binutils to version 2.45 or later, which contains the security fix
- Audit systems to identify installations of affected versions 2.43 and 2.44
- Avoid processing untrusted binary files with vulnerable Binutils versions until patched
- Implement input validation for binary files in automated build and analysis pipelines
Patch Information
The vulnerability has been addressed in GNU Binutils version 2.45. The fix is identified by commit hash 8d97c1a53f3dc9fd8e1ccdb039b8a33d50133150. Organizations should upgrade to version 2.45 or apply the patch from the Sourceware Git repository.
Additional security information is available from NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20250404-0005 for affected NetApp products. Technical details about the original bug can be found in Sourceware Bug Report #32603.
Workarounds
- Restrict processing of binary files from untrusted sources using vulnerable Binutils versions
- Run Binutils utilities in sandboxed or containerized environments to limit potential impact
- Implement access controls to limit which users can execute Binutils commands on production systems
- Consider using alternative tools temporarily for binary analysis until patches are applied
# Verify your installed GNU Binutils version
ld --version | head -1
# Check for updates in package managers
# Debian/Ubuntu
apt-cache policy binutils
# RHEL/CentOS/Fedora
dnf info binutils
# Upgrade to patched version
# Debian/Ubuntu (when available)
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade binutils
# Build from source if package not yet updated
wget https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/binutils/binutils-2.45.tar.xz
tar -xf binutils-2.45.tar.xz
cd binutils-2.45
./configure && make && sudo make install
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