diff --git a/gcc/ChangeLog b/gcc/ChangeLog
index a9e18e607c5..85ecbe5b3cd 100644
--- a/gcc/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+2012-10-11  Hans-Peter Nilsson  <hp@bitrange.com>
+
+	* acinclude.m4 (_gcc_COMPUTE_GAS_VERSION): Allow a single
+	character to quote the VERSION= contents.  Sanity-check contents.
+	* configure.ac ("what linker to use" ld version extraction): Ditto.
+	* configure: Regenerate.
+
 2012-10-10  Segher Boessenkool  <segher@kernel.crashing.org>
 
 	* config/rs6000/rs6000.h (PRINT_OPERAND_PUNCT_VALID_P):
diff --git a/gcc/acinclude.m4 b/gcc/acinclude.m4
index c24464b5977..fe7c5b699d0 100644
--- a/gcc/acinclude.m4
+++ b/gcc/acinclude.m4
@@ -393,11 +393,15 @@ for f in $gcc_cv_as_bfd_srcdir/configure \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/configure \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/configure.in \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/Makefile.in ; do
-  gcc_cv_gas_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[[ 	]]*\(VERSION=[[0-9]]*\.[[0-9]]*.*\)/\1/p' < $f`
+  gcc_cv_gas_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[[ 	]]*VERSION=[[^0-9A-Za-z_]]*\([[0-9]]*\.[[0-9]]*.*\)/VERSION=\1/p' < $f`
   if test x$gcc_cv_gas_version != x; then
     break
   fi
 done
+case $gcc_cv_gas_version in
+  VERSION=[[0-9]]*) ;;
+  *) AC_MSG_ERROR([[cannot find version of in-tree assembler]]);;
+esac
 gcc_cv_gas_major_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=\([[0-9]]*\)"`
 gcc_cv_gas_minor_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=[[0-9]]*\.\([[0-9]]*\)"`
 gcc_cv_gas_patch_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=[[0-9]]*\.[[0-9]]*\.\([[0-9]]*\)"`
diff --git a/gcc/configure b/gcc/configure
index 45bba8e785e..95dcc44eb3f 100755
--- a/gcc/configure
+++ b/gcc/configure
@@ -21237,11 +21237,15 @@ for f in $gcc_cv_as_bfd_srcdir/configure \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/configure \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/configure.in \
          $gcc_cv_as_gas_srcdir/Makefile.in ; do
-  gcc_cv_gas_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*\(VERSION=[0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/\1/p' < $f`
+  gcc_cv_gas_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*VERSION=[^0-9A-Za-z_]*\([0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/VERSION=\1/p' < $f`
   if test x$gcc_cv_gas_version != x; then
     break
   fi
 done
+case $gcc_cv_gas_version in
+  VERSION=[0-9]*) ;;
+  *) as_fn_error "cannot find version of in-tree assembler" "$LINENO" 5;;
+esac
 gcc_cv_gas_major_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=\([0-9]*\)"`
 gcc_cv_gas_minor_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=[0-9]*\.\([0-9]*\)"`
 gcc_cv_gas_patch_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gas_version" : "VERSION=[0-9]*\.[0-9]*\.\([0-9]*\)"`
@@ -21395,11 +21399,15 @@ $as_echo "newly built ld" >&6; }
 	fi
 	for f in $gcc_cv_ld_bfd_srcdir/configure $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/configure $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/configure.in $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/Makefile.in
 	do
-		gcc_cv_gld_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*\(VERSION=[0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/\1/p' < $f`
+		gcc_cv_gld_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*VERSION=[^0-9A-Za-z_]*\([0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/VERSION=\1/p' < $f`
 		if test x$gcc_cv_gld_version != x; then
 			break
 		fi
 	done
+	case $gcc_cv_gld_version in
+	  VERSION=[0-9]*) ;;
+	  *) as_fn_error "cannot find version of in-tree linker" "$LINENO" 5 ;;
+	esac
 	gcc_cv_gld_major_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gld_version" : "VERSION=\([0-9]*\)"`
 	gcc_cv_gld_minor_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gld_version" : "VERSION=[0-9]*\.\([0-9]*\)"`
 else
diff --git a/gcc/configure.ac b/gcc/configure.ac
index 6ad6d19c9ed..6f307536914 100644
--- a/gcc/configure.ac
+++ b/gcc/configure.ac
@@ -2049,11 +2049,17 @@ if test "$gcc_cv_ld" = ../ld/ld-new$build_exeext \
 	for f in $gcc_cv_ld_bfd_srcdir/configure $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/configure $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/configure.in $gcc_cv_ld_gld_srcdir/Makefile.in
 	do
 changequote(,)dnl
-		gcc_cv_gld_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*\(VERSION=[0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/\1/p' < $f`
+		gcc_cv_gld_version=`sed -n -e 's/^[ 	]*VERSION=[^0-9A-Za-z_]*\([0-9]*\.[0-9]*.*\)/VERSION=\1/p' < $f`
 		if test x$gcc_cv_gld_version != x; then
 			break
 		fi
 	done
+	case $gcc_cv_gld_version in
+	  VERSION=[0-9]*) ;;
+changequote([,])dnl
+	  *) AC_MSG_ERROR([[cannot find version of in-tree linker]]) ;;
+changequote(,)dnl
+	esac
 	gcc_cv_gld_major_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gld_version" : "VERSION=\([0-9]*\)"`
 	gcc_cv_gld_minor_version=`expr "$gcc_cv_gld_version" : "VERSION=[0-9]*\.\([0-9]*\)"`
 changequote([,])dnl