CVE-2018-17794
binutils: NULL pointer dereference in libiberty/cplus-dem.c:work_stuff_copy_to_from() via crafted input
Severity
LowRed Hat Product Security
CVSS 3.0
Review impact separately from score.
Published · October 2, 2018
Updated · November 21, 2025
Description
An issue was discovered in cplus-dem.c in GNU libiberty, as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31. There is a NULL pointer dereference in work_stuff_copy_to_from when called from iterate_demangle_function.
Statement
This issue is classified with a low severity primarily because binutils is not typically exposed to untrusted inputs in most environments, limiting the possibility of exploitation. Additionally, this NULL pointer dereference is only triggered during the parsing of a specially crafted file, requiring an attacker to convince a user to process this file with c++filt. Furthermore, binutils does not handle privileged operations, meaning that exploitation is unlikely to lead to system compromise or escalation of privileges. Also, the impact is limited to the application itself, without affecting the broader system or network security.
CVSS score applicability
The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.
Mitigation
No mitigation is specified in collected source.
CVSS / CWE
CVSS 3.0 · 3.3CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L
CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference