Skip to main content
No exploitation reportedFix available

CVE-2017-9778

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2017-06-21
  • WeaknessCWE-20 · CWE-770

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

GNU Debugger (GDB) 8.0 and earlier fails to detect a negative length field in a DWARF section. A malformed section in an ELF binary or a core file can cause GDB to repeatedly allocate memory until a process limit is reached. This can, for example, impede efforts to analyze malware with GDB.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2017-06-2107:29CVE publishedNVD

Versions per branch

NVD
Gnu gdb
BranchAffectedFixed in
8.0≤ 8.0no fix published

as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • gdbUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdbUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed
  • gdbDebian:14all versions · fixed in 8.3.1-1
  • gdbDebian:13all versions · fixed in 8.3.1-1
  • gdbDebian:12all versions · fixed in 8.3.1-1

Full record on NVD

Fix

No fix published by the sources we read yet. NVD record

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Published
2017-06-21
Last Modified
2026-06-17
NVD status
Modified
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-hmmq-v5m7-8j9w

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-9778?

GNU Debugger (GDB) 8.0 and earlier fails to detect a negative length field in a DWARF section. A malformed section in an ELF binary or a core file can cause GDB to repeatedly allocate memory until a process limit is reached. This can, for example, impede efforts to analyze malware with GDB.

Is CVE-2017-9778 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2017-9778 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 1.1% on 2026-11-08, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-9778?

CVE-2017-9778 has a CVSS v3 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM severity), with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Running gdb? Hear about its next vulnerability

Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».

Get alerts for this productCISA KEV additions, November 2026Search CVEs

No credit card required · No monthly cap on website lookups · 250 API requests/month

Go further

Related vulnerabilities

Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.

Back to CVE Database

Sources for this record