CVE-2026-90802: A weakness has been identified in GNU Binutils 2.47

Routine

MEDIUM 4.4DOWNGRADE

CVE-2026-90802 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.4) affecting binutils. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A weakness has been identified in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected is the function bfd_putl64 of the file bfd/libbfd.c of the component ld. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The attack requires local access. The exploit has been made available to the public and could be used for attacks. The project was informed of the problem early through a bug report but has not responded yet.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.4 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.2% (top 92%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-404, CWE-476
Published	2026-09-14
Last modified	2026-09-18

Publisher (CNA): VulDB · Vendor: gnu

Last updated 2026-09-18 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-09-14 17:17 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-09-18 14:42 UTCUpdated Record last modified

gnu binutils DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.47

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.47

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy binutils || rpm -q binutils || binutils --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.47 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison binutils sudo apt install binutils=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.47> sudo apt-mark hold binutils

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list binutils sudo dnf downgrade binutils-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.47> sudo dnf versionlock add binutils

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-90802?

binutils: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-90802 being exploited?

CVE-2026-90802 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-90802 affect?

CVE-2026-90802 affects binutils. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.4). A weakness has been identified in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected is the function bfd_putl64 of the file bfd/libbfd.c of the component ld. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. The attack requires local access. The exploit has been

How urgent is CVE-2026-90802?

Priority 22/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-6846 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE MITIGATE A flaw was found in binutils
CVE-2026-6844 MEDIUM 5.5 MITIGATE MITIGATE A flaw was found in the `readelf` utility of the binutils package
CVE-2026-6845 MEDIUM 5.0 MITIGATE MITIGATE A flaw was found in binutils, specifically within the `readelf` utility
CVE-2026-90828 MEDIUM 5.3 DOWNGRADE A security flaw has been discovered in GNU Binutils 2.47
CVE-2026-90804 MEDIUM 4.8 DOWNGRADE A vulnerability was detected in GNU Binutils 2.47

References

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