CVE-2026-90831: A vulnerability was detected in GNU Binutils 2.47

Routine

MEDIUM 5.3DOWNGRADE

CVE-2026-90831 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 vulnerability was detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. The affected element is the function _bfd_elf_strtab_delref of the file bfd/elf-strtab.c of the component ELF String Table. The manipulation results in memory corruption. The attack requires a local approach. The exploit is now public 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-119
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 17:18 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-2026-90831?

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

Is CVE-2026-90831 being exploited?

CVE-2026-90831 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-2026-90831 affect?

CVE-2026-90831 affects binutils. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.3). A vulnerability was detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. The affected element is the function _bfd_elf_strtab_delref of the file bfd/elf-strtab.c of the component ELF String Table. The manipulation results in memory corruption. The attack require

How urgent is CVE-2026-90831?

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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