CVE-2018-18605

A heap-based buffer over-read issue was discovered in the function sec_merge_hash_lookup in merge.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31, because _bfd_add_merge_section mishandles section merges when size is not a multiple of entsize. A specially crafted ELF allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, as demonstrated by ld.

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 heap-based buffer over-read is only triggered during the parsing of a specially crafted file, requiring an attacker to convince a user to process this file with ld. 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.

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.