High · CVSS 7.0CVE-2026-13732

Gdb: gdb: out-of-bounds write in stabs parser read_member_functions() via crafted elfCVE-2026-13732

Answer in brief

CVE-2026-13732 records a High severity (CVSS 7.0) vulnerability in Gdb: gdb: out-of-bounds write in stabs parser read_member_functions() via crafted elf. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. The current feed maps Red Hat/gdb (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Analysis pending evidence review

HOL Guard separates source facts from reviewed analysis. See the methodology.

Published Aug 31, 2026Updated Oct 14, 2026Source checked Oct 15, 2026First seen by HOL Aug 31, 2026Material review Oct 14, 2026

Upstream Advisory

Key facts

Risk: High · CVSS 7.0
Exploitation: Not marked as known exploited
Affected software: 1 mapped package or product
Fix availability: Not reported

Why this deserves its current priority

CVSS is 7.0. The current sources do not mark it as known exploited. Treat this as a source-backed prioritization signal, not a statement about your environment.

Analysis status

Analysis pending evidence review

Factual feed record only; HOL analysis is not approved for indexing. Read the methodology.

Affected scope and exposure questions

The current feed maps Red Hat/gdb (generic). Check affected ranges and fixed versions before updating.

Mapped affected packages and fixed versions
Package	Affected range	Fixed version
Red Hat/gdbgeneric	*	Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Red Hat/gdb.
Review the reported fix. Source-reported workaround: The following practices would help for avoiding exposure and mitigate this flaw: - Do not open untrusted or unknown ELF binaries in GDB without first stripping debug sections. Use `objcopy --remove-section=.stab --remove-section=.stabstr <binary>` before debugging. - Use `readelf -S <binary> | grep stab` to check for the presence of STABS sections before opening a binary in GDB. Legitimate modern binaries use DWARF, not STABS. - Consider using LLDB or other debuggers that do not support STABS for analysis of untrusted binaries. - For automated environments (CI, test farms) that invoke GDB on potentially untrusted binaries, run GDB in a sandboxed or containerized environment with restricted filesystem access. - GDB 17+ deprecates STABS support but still parses it. GDB 18 (expected late 2026/2027) will remove STABS support entirely. - GCC removed STABS emitting in GCC 13 (2023), so legitimately compiled binaries from recent GCC versions will not contain STABS data.

Evidence timeline and material changes

Published upstream
Aug 31, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
Source modified
Oct 14, 2026
Evidence: source:cvelist:source_dates:source-dates:record
First seen by HOL
Aug 31, 2026

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

A flaw was found in GDB's STABS debug format parser. The read_member_functions() function in gdb/stabsread.c contains a linked list removal bug in the code that separates destructor and non-destructor member functions of C++ classes. The bug causes the destructor entries to remain in the main function list while the list length counter is decremented, resulting in an out-of-bounds write when the function list is copied to its final allocated array. An attacker can craft an ELF binary with malicious .stab and .stabstr sections that triggers this out-of-bounds write when a user opens the file in GDB and performs any symbol-inspection operation such as setting a breakpoint. The inferior process does not need to be executed. Under controlled conditions, this was demonstrated to achieve execution of arbitrary commands within the GDB process.

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.

Package

Affected range

Fixed version

Red Hat/gdbgeneric

Not reported

Recommended response

Check inventory. Check lockfiles and deployed manifests for Red Hat/gdb.

Review the reported fix. Source-reported workaround: The following practices would help for avoiding exposure and mitigate this flaw: - Do not open untrusted or unknown ELF binaries in GDB without first stripping debug sections. Use `objcopy --remove-section=.stab --remove-section=.stabstr <binary>` before debugging. - Use `readelf -S <binary> | grep stab` to check for the presence of STABS sections before opening a binary in GDB. Legitimate modern binaries use DWARF, not STABS. - Consider using LLDB or other debuggers that do not support STABS for analysis of untrusted binaries. - For automated environments (CI, test farms) that invoke GDB on potentially untrusted binaries, run GDB in a sandboxed or containerized environment with restricted filesystem access. - GDB 17+ deprecates STABS support but still parses it. GDB 18 (expected late 2026/2027) will remove STABS support entirely. - GCC removed STABS emitting in GCC 13 (2023), so legitimately compiled binaries from recent GCC versions will not contain STABS data.

Sources and claim methodology

Upstream source description

Quoted source text, attributed separately from HOL analysis.

Gdb: gdb: out-of-bounds write in stabs parser read_member_functions() via crafted elfCVE-2026-13732

Key facts

Why this deserves its current priority

Affected scope and exposure questions

Recommended response

Evidence timeline and material changes

Sources and claim methodology

Related CVEs

Gdb: gdb: out-of-bounds write in stabs parser read_member_functions() via crafted elfCVE-2026-13732

Key facts

Why this deserves its current priority

Affected scope and exposure questions

Recommended response

Evidence timeline and material changes

Sources and claim methodology

Related CVEs