# CVE-2026-6844: GNU binutils Denial of Service in readelf

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-6844-gnu-binutils-denial-of-service-in-readelf  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-04-22. Updated: 2026-05-20  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-6844 · Severity: medium · CVSS 5.5 · Published 2026-04-22

A vulnerability was found in the readelf utility, a tool used by developers and administrators to examine the internal structure of executable files. By tricking a user into opening a specially crafted file, an attacker can cause the tool to crash or consume all available system memory. This results in a denial of service, potentially disrupting development workflows or automated system analysis tasks.

Technologies: [Gnu Binutils](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/binutils), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-10-0), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-7-0), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-8-0), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/enterprise-linux-9-0), [Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.0](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/openshift-container-platform-4-0). Vendors: [Gnu](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/gnu), [Red Hat](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/red-hat).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-6844 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-6844 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-6844?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 5.5, published 22 April 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Gnu Binutils 2.46.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-6844?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-6844 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-6844?** Check whether you run Gnu Binutils, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 or one of the others listed at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

The readelf utility in binutils version 2.46 contains two distinct Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerabilities. The first is a resource exhaustion issue (CWE-400) where a crafted ELF file triggers an excessive memory allocation (reportedly up to 6.3TB), leading to an Out-of-Memory (OOM) termination. The second is a null pointer dereference (CWE-476) caused by malformed section header entry sizes (sh_entsize) or offsets (shoff), resulting in a segmentation fault (SIGSEGV). Exploitation requires a local user to run readelf against a malicious ELF file. At the time of the advisory, these issues were identified via fuzzing and affect multiple Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions.

## Affected products

- GNU binutils 2.46
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0
- Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.0

## Timeline

- 2026-04-21: other: Reported to Red Hat Bugzilla
- 2026-04-22: disclosed: CVE published
- 2026-05-20: advisory: NVD analysis updated

## References

- [https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6844](https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6844)
- [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460016](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460016)

## Related threats

- [GNU Binutils null pointer dereference in dynamic relocation allocation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91782-gnu-binutils-null-pointer-dereference-in-dynamic-relocation)
- [GNU Binutils null pointer dereference in ELF section handler](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91781-gnu-binutils-null-pointer-dereference-in-elf-section-handler)
- [GNU Binutils null pointer dereference in ELF linker](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91780-gnu-binutils-null-pointer-dereference-in-elf-linker)
- [GNU Binutils null pointer dereference in eh_frame section offset](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-91779-gnu-binutils-null-pointer-dereference-in-eh-frame-section-offset)
- [GNU Binutils memory corruption in ELF string table handling](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-90831-gnu-binutils-memory-corruption-in-elf-string-table-handling)