CVE-2026-6844

Readelf hang or crash via malformed ELF metadata

Published Apr 22, 2026 · Updated Apr 22, 2026

Denial of service in binutils readelf on affected Red Hat products allows local users to hang or crash it with a crafted ELF file. Malformed ELF metadata drives a 6.3 TB allocation, while invalid sh_entsize and shoff values lead readelf to dereference a null pointer. A user must be enticed to invoke readelf on the file; the result is memory exhaustion or a segmentation fault, with no reported data exposure or modification.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.10%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in binutils readelf on affected Red Hat products allows local users to hang or crash it with a crafted ELF file. Malformed ELF metadata drives a 6.3 TB allocation, while invalid sh_entsize and shoff values lead readelf to dereference a null pointer. A user must be enticed to invoke readelf on the file; the result is memory exhaustion or a segmentation fault, with no reported data exposure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-6844
Published
Apr 22, 2026
Updated
Apr 22, 2026
Vendor
389 Directory Server
Product
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
Classifications
CWE-400, T1204.002
Attack vector
local
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Apr 22, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected versions are unavailable in this record. Check the vendor advisory for version and patch details.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Hardened ImagesAffected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat OpenShift Container PlatformAffected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9Affected versions are unavailable in this record.
389 Directory Server · Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Affected versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

5.5Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-400Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
T1204.002Malicious File

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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