CVE-2026-52754

Description

Ghidra before 12.1 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in PKIAuthenticationModule.authenticate() that allows any user with a valid CA-signed certificate to impersonate other users by presenting their public certificate with a null signature. Attackers can escalate privileges, modify repository access controls, exfiltrate shared reverse engineering databases, and permanently compromise server integrity.

CVSS v3.1 Score

8.8

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS — Exploit Prediction

0.0025

Probability of exploitation

0.16%

Percentile rank

EPSS estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A higher score means more likely to be exploited.

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-347 CWE-347

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
nsa	ghidra	< 12.1

References

Advisories & Patches

https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/78729379e471bbb3d969409be6a8c3d24af84220 https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/79d8f164f8bb8b15cfb60c5d4faeb8e1c25d15ca https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories/GHSA-5wxq-7qpv-65p2

Other References

https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-authentication-bypass-via-null-signature-in-pkiauthenticationmodule

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-52754? +

Ghidra before 12.1 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability in PKIAuthenticationModule.authenticate() that allows any user with a valid CA-signed certificate to impersonate other users by presenting their public certificate with a null signature. Attackers can escalate privileges, modify repository access controls, exfiltrate shared reverse engineering databases, and permanently compromise server integrity. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-52754? +

CVE-2026-52754 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 8.8 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching. The EPSS score is 0.0025, placing it in the 0th percentile for exploitation probability.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-52754? +

CVE-2026-52754 affects products from nsa, specifically: ghidra. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2026-52754? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-44720

OpenLearnX is an open-source, decentralized learning and assessment platform. Prior to 2.0.4, a critical authentication vulnerability was identified in OpenLearnX …

CVE-2025-24800

Hyperbridge is a hyper-scalable coprocessor for verifiable, cross-chain interoperability. A critical vulnerability was discovered in the ismp-grandpa crate, that allowed …

CVE-2025-27498

aes-gcm is a pure Rust implementation of the AES-GCM. In decrypt_in_place_detached, the decrypted ciphertext (which is the correct ciphertext) is …

CVE-2024-11957

Improper verification of the digital signature in ksojscore.dll in Kingsoft WPS Office in versions equal or less than 12.1.0.18276 on …

CVE-2025-29774

xml-crypto is an XML digital signature and encryption library for Node.js. An attacker may be able to exploit a vulnerability …

CVE-2025-29775