What is CVE-2026-91781?

CVE-2026-91781 is GNU Binutils ELF Section elf64-x86-64.c elf_x86_64_common_section_index null pointer dereference. The supplied enrichment data classifies it as Memory Corruption mapped to CWE-476 NULL Pointer Dereference; CWE-404 Improper Resource Shutdown or Release.

Which versions are affected?

Affected product and version evidence is listed in the product table above. Current public advisories should be checked for exact version scope before patch targeting is finalized.

Is there active exploitation?

Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-91781. If exploitation is not confirmed from current sources, teams should document that status and continue monitoring KEV, vendor, and telemetry updates.

No. CVE-2026-91781 is not listed in CISA KEV in the supplied enrichment data. KEV status should be monitored because it can change after initial disclosure or after exploitation becomes publicly confirmed.

Is there a public exploit?

1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. Public exploit or PoC availability should raise triage priority, especially for exposed or business-critical systems.

How can defenders detect it?

Start with Not reported where available. Look for vulnerability-class behavior, product errors, suspicious authentication events, exploit probes, and abnormal process activity based only on evidence that applies to the affected product.

How should teams prioritize it?

Prioritize CVE-2026-91781 using CVSS 3.3, EPSS 0%, KEV status, public PoC status, and asset exposure. Internet-facing, privileged, or business-critical deployments should be handled first.

Are workarounds available?

The supplied mitigation guidance says to apply vendor patches and restrict external exposure until fixed. Fixed-version evidence is listed in the mitigation section above.

Which threat actors are linked publicly?

No public threat actor linkage is confirmed from current sources. Do not attribute exploitation to a threat actor unless the source evidence explicitly supports that linkage.

What should be done in the next 24 hours?

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations. Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class. Open remediation tickets with affected assets, owners, evidence status, and detection coverage so decisions are traceable.

lowMemory Corruptionpublic exploit

CVE-2026-91781

CVE-2026-91781 — GNU Binutils ELF Section elf64-x86-64.c elf_x86_64_common_section_index null pointer dereference

A security vulnerability has been detected in GNU Binutils 2.47. Affected is the function elf_x86_64_common_section_index of the file bfd/elf64-x86-64.c of the component ELF Section Handler. The manipulation leads to null pointer dereference. The attack needs to be performed locally. The exploit has been disclosed publicly and may be used. Upgrading to version 2.48 is able to address this issue. The identifier of the patch is 7322e9bc30cb282575a701c307851fd3d66fee68. It is suggested to upgrade the affected component.

Published Sep 15, 2026Updated Sep 15, 2026Sources: NVD, GNU (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Exploit code

public exploit, none observed

EPSS

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

GNU

2 products listed

CVSS base

3.3

low · 6 sources

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade Binutils to a fixed release (2.48). Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
GNU	Binutils	2.47	Vulnerable
GNU	Binutils	2.48	Patched

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

Low

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

Low

Attack Vector

Local

Privileges Req

Low

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Score	Version	Severity	Expl.	Impact	Source
3.3	CVSS 3.1	low	1.8	1.4	NVD, GHSA
1.7	CVSS 2.0	low	3.1	2.9	vuldb.com (CNA)
4.8	CVSS 4.0	medium	—	—	GNU (CNA)
3.3	CVSS 3.1	low	—	—	GNU (CNA)
3.3	CVSS 3.0	low	—	—	GNU (CNA)
1.7	CVSS 2.0	low	—	—	GNU (CNA)

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L

What this weakness leads to

MITRE's own consequences and mitigations for the weakness class — the authority's wording, not guidance derived from the CVSS vector.

MITRE

CWE-404 · Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
Varies by Context
Read Application Data

Mitigation: Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, languages such as Java, Ruby, and Lisp perform automatic garbage collection that releases memory for objects that have been deallocated.

CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Read Memory
Modify Memory

Mitigation: If all pointers that could have been modified are sanity-checked previous to use, nearly all NULL pointer dereferences can be prevented.

Weakness & attack patterns

CWE-476NULL Pointer Dereference
CWE-404Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

Inferred from the weakness class — not observed against this CVE.

CAPEC-100 · Overflow BuffersCAPEC-123 · Buffer Manipulation

T1498.001Network Denial of Service: Direct Network Flood
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service
T1499.003Endpoint Denial of Service: Application Exhaustion Flood

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

Search application, proxy, and WAF logs for requests touching /elf64-x86-64.c.
Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 1 public PoC repositories were reported.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

2026
Added · CVSS 3.1 3.3 (AV:L)
Sep 15, 2026 · NVD
Initial · CVE published
Sep 15, 2026 · NVD
Reported · Advisory disclosed
Sep 15, 2026 · GNU
Reported · VulDB entry created
Sep 15, 2026 · GNU
Reported · VulDB entry last update
Sep 15, 2026 · GNU
Added · GHSA-x33g-4rqc-v4wq published (low)
Sep 15, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory
CVE published by MITRE.
Sep 15, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI

References

10 on the record

github.com/Ech06/CVE_submit/tree/main/bugzilla/pocs/34449
Exploit, Third Party Advisory
sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=34449
Vendor Advisory
sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=7322e9bc30cb282575a701c307851fd3d66fee68
Vendor Advisory
vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-91781
Vendor Advisory
vuldb.com/submit/933336
Vendor Advisory
vuldb.com/vuln/404052
Vendor Advisory
vuldb.com/vuln/404052/cti
Vendor Advisory
www.gnu.org/
Vendor Advisory

Elsewhere on this site

GNUevery CVE for this vendor
Memory Corruptionsame class
CWE-476other pages naming this weakness

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-91781 is GNU Binutils ELF Section elf64-x86-64.c elf_x86_64_common_section_index null pointer dereference, a low vulnerability affecting Binutils from GNU. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-91781. Public exploit evidence is: 1 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 3.3 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.