Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-25588

Gnu Binutils 2.40

Public PoC
Published
14 September 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.7
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0037 30th percentile
Risk Priority 37 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-25588 is a medium-severity Use of Uninitialized Variable (CWE-457) vulnerability in Gnu Binutils. Its CVSS base score is 4.7 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked at the 30th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

A flaw was found in Binutils. The field `the_bfd` of `asymbol`struct is uninitialized in the `bfd_mach_o_get_synthetic_symtab` function, which may lead to an application crash and local denial of service.

CWE(s)
CWE-457CWE-908

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1003 OS Credential Dumping Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to dump credentials to obtain account login and credential material, normally in the form of a hash or a clear text password.
attack.mitre.org →
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-25586Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2023-25585Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-69650Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-66865Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-11839Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-66862Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-11495Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-5244Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-1182Same product: Gnu Binutils
CVE-2025-11082Same product: Gnu Binutils

Affected Assets

gnu
binutils
2.40

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices directly catch uninitialized-variable defects via static analysis and code review while the control encompasses many additional development controls.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
finds

Security testing can detect uninitialized-variable bugs, but the control is broader.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that reduce uninitialized-variable defects.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can specify initialization rules, but the control itself does not directly address the weakness.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
prevents

Secure system architecture and engineering principles include defensive coding practices that prevent use of uninitialized memory or objects.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding explicitly requires variable initialization and static-analysis checks.

References