HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-45078
HIGH

CVE-2021-45078

CWE-787Published: December 15, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

stab_xcoff_builtin_type in stabs.c in GNU Binutils through 2.37 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow) or possibly have unspecified other impact, as demonstrated by an out-of-bounds write. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2018-12699.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-45078 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
gnu1 product(s)
binutils
netapp1 product(s)
ontap select deploy administration utility
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
Source: NVD CPE · 8 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28694
PATCHhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28694
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220107-0002/
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220107-0002/

All References (12)

→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UQBH244M5PV6S6UMHUTCVCWFZDX7Y4M6/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UUHLDDT3HH7YEY6TX7IJRGPJUTNNVEL3/
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220107-0002/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28694Exploit · Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=161e87d12167b1e36193385485c1f6ce92f74f02
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UQBH244M5PV6S6UMHUTCVCWFZDX7Y4M6/
→
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/UUHLDDT3HH7YEY6TX7IJRGPJUTNNVEL3/
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220107-0002/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28694Exploit · Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git%3Bh=161e87d12167b1e36193385485c1f6ce92f74f02

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-45078
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedDec 15, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

CVE-2004-0574
10.0
CVE-2009-2466
10.0
CVE-2015-0235
10.0
CVE-2004-1287
10.0
CVE-2018-10718
10.0
CVE-2026-42369
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-45078 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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