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CVE-2016-4489 Gnu CVE debrief

CVE-2016-4489 describes an integer overflow in GNU libiberty's gnu_special function that can lead to a segmentation fault and crash when processing crafted binaries, including paths related to demangling of virtual tables. The official NVD record classifies the issue as a denial-of-service weakness (CWE-190) with availability impact only. The plain-text description says remote attackers, while NVD's CVSS vector indicates local access with user interaction required, so treat the exposure model cautiously and rely on the CVSS details when prioritizing exposure review.

Vendor
Gnu
Product
CVE-2016-4489
CVSS
MEDIUM 5.5
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-02-24
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-02-24
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Teams that ship, embed, or rely on GNU libiberty or toolchain components that parse or demangle symbols from untrusted binaries. This also matters to build, reverse-engineering, analysis, and CI environments where crafted input files may be opened automatically or by users.

Technical summary

The affected code path is gnu_special in libiberty. According to NVD, the flaw is an integer overflow (CWE-190) that can result in a crash/segmentation fault while handling specially crafted binary input, including demangling of virtual tables. NVD lists the vulnerable CPE broadly as cpe:2.3:a:gnu:libiberty:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* and scores the issue CVSS 3.0 5.5 MEDIUM with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Defensive priority

Medium. The primary impact is availability loss, but the trigger involves parsing attacker-controlled or malformed binaries, which can disrupt tooling and analysis workflows.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Inventory systems and products that bundle or invoke GNU libiberty.
  • Check whether your distribution or toolchain vendor has issued a fix or backport for libiberty.
  • Update affected packages or rebuild against patched library/toolchain releases when available.
  • Treat untrusted binaries and symbol-demangling workflows as higher-risk input paths; isolate analysis environments where practical.
  • Add regression testing around binary parsing/demangling paths to catch crashes early.
  • Monitor for repeated crashes in tooling that processes crafted or externally supplied binaries.

Evidence notes

Primary evidence comes from the NVD CVE record and the CVE record page. NVD lists the affected component as GNU libiberty, the weakness as CWE-190, and the CVSS vector as CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Public reference links include an OSS-security mailing list post dated 2016-05-05, a SecurityFocus BID entry, and GCC Bugzilla issue 70492.

Official resources

Publicly published in the CVE record on 2017-02-24, with the NVD record last modified on 2026-05-13. The supplied references show earlier public discussion from 2016-05-05.