CVE-2018-18606

Name: CVE-2018-18606
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2018-10-23T17:29:00.517+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

UnknownEPSS 2.24%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2018-18606 is a vulnerability of currently unknown severity. An issue was discovered in the merge_strings function in merge.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31. There is a NULL pointer dereference in _bfd_add_merge_section when attempting to merge sections with large alignments. EPSS estimates a 2.24% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in the merge_strings function in merge.c in the Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library (aka libbfd), as distributed in GNU Binutils 2.31. There is a NULL pointer dereference in _bfd_add_merge_section when attempting to merge sections with large alignments. A specially crafted ELF allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service, as demonstrated by ld.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

2.24%

80.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-476

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Binutils	2.31
Debian	Debian Linux	7.0
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Netapp	Data Ontap	All versions

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23806Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=45a0eaf77022963d639d6d19871dbab7b79703fc
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-10/msg00072.html
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-11/msg00008.html
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105754Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0003/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=23806Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=45a0eaf77022963d639d6d19871dbab7b79703fc
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4336-1/

Timeline

Published: Oct 23, 2018
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-18606?

How severe is CVE-2018-18606?

Severity scoring for CVE-2018-18606 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 2.24% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2018-18606?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2018-18606?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST