CVE-2026-6846
Published: 22 April 2026
Summary
CVE-2026-6846 is a high-severity Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122) vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Client Execution (T1203); ranked at the 0.7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2026-6846 is a heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability (CWE-122) in binutils, triggered when processing a specially crafted XCOFF (Extended Common Object File Format) object file during the linking process. Published on 2026-04-22, it affects the binutils software package, with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
A local attacker can exploit this vulnerability by tricking a user into processing the malicious XCOFF file, leading to arbitrary code execution that allows running unauthorized commands or causing a denial of service that renders the system unavailable.
Red Hat advisories provide further details on mitigation, available at https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-6846 and https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2460006.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-24714
Vulnerability details
A flaw was found in binutils. A heap-buffer-overflow vulnerability exists when processing a specially crafted XCOFF (Extended Common Object File Format) object file during linking. A local attacker could trick a user into processing this malicious file, which could lead…
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to arbitrary code execution, allowing the attacker to run unauthorized commands, or cause a denial of service, making the system unavailable.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Heap buffer overflow in binutils triggered by malicious XCOFF file processing leads to arbitrary code execution after user interaction, directly enabling exploitation of a client application vulnerability for code execution.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly addresses the CVE by requiring timely identification, reporting, and patching of the heap-buffer-overflow flaw in binutils to prevent exploitation.
Provides memory protection mechanisms like ASLR, DEP, and stack guards that mitigate heap buffer overflow exploits leading to arbitrary code execution or DoS.
Enables detection of vulnerable binutils installations via regular vulnerability scanning, supporting proactive remediation of this specific flaw.