CVE-2026-115394 NationalSecurityAgency CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders and administrators responsible for Ghidra installations should assess exposure and prioritize verification and potential updates. This includes reviewing the supplied official advisory or CVE record to validate affected scope, severity, and vendor guidance. They should also plan vendor-supported updates or mitigations through normal change control where exposure is confirmed.

Why it matters

A denial-of-service vulnerability in Ghidra through version 12.2 requires verification and potential updates to prevent attacks.

• Potential denial-of-service attacks against Ghidra users
• Need for verification of Ghidra version and potential updates
• Possible restriction of access to Ghidra to trusted users only

Technical summary

The vulnerability exists in BinaryField.read() in Ghidra through version 12.2, allowing attackers to exhaust heap memory via an unchecked 32-bit length field. This can be triggered by persuading users to import a crafted GZF packed database file, which can lead to an OutOfMemoryError in PackedDatabase.open() that aborts the import and denies service. The vulnerability requires verification and potential updates to prevent attacks. Defenders should prioritize verifying and updating Ghidra installations to prevent potential denial-of-service attacks.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying and updating Ghidra installations to prevent potential denial-of-service attacks.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify Ghidra version and update to a patched version if available
• Restrict access to Ghidra to trusted users only
• Monitor Ghidra logs for potential denial-of-service attempts
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up

Evidence notes

The CVE record and source item provide details on the vulnerability, including its existence in Ghidra through version 12.2 and the potential for denial-of-service attacks. The vulnerability is caused by an uncontrolled memory allocation in BinaryField.read(), which allows attackers to exhaust heap memory via an unchecked 32-bit length field. The CVE record was published on 2026-10-22T19:14:00.068Z and has not been modified since then. The source item provides additional information on the vulnerability, including its impact on Ghidra

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.