CVE-2026-90830: A security vulnerability has been detected in GNU Binutils 2.47

Routine

MEDIUM 5.3DOWNGRADE

CVE-2026-90830 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.3) affecting binutils. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A security vulnerability has been detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. Impacted is the function _bfd_write_merged_section of the file bfd/merge.c of the component Section Merge. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. The attack needs to be performed locally. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. The project was informed of the problem early through a bug report but has not responded yet.

Why this priority

No elevated risk signals yet

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.2% (top 94%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-404, CWE-476
Published	2026-09-14
Last modified	2026-09-16

Publisher (CNA): VulDB · Vendor: gnu

Last updated 2026-09-16 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-09-14 23:18 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-09-16 15:28 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-2026-90830?

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

Is CVE-2026-90830 being exploited?

CVE-2026-90830 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-2026-90830 affect?

CVE-2026-90830 affects binutils. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). A security vulnerability has been detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. Impacted is the function _bfd_write_merged_section of the file bfd/merge.c of the component Section Merge. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. The attack needs

How urgent is CVE-2026-90830?

Priority 20/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

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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