CVE-2026-49497 — Ghidra < 12.1 - Path Traversal via .gnu_debuglink in DWARF External Debug File Resolution
Ghidra before 12.1 contains a path traversal vulnerability in SameDirDebugInfoProvider that fails to validate filenames from ELF binary .gnu_debuglink sections before constructing file paths. Attackers can craft malicious ELF binaries with traversal sequences to probe filesystem existence and leak CRC32 hashes of arbitrary files during automatic DWARF analysis.
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+1
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Nationalsecurityagency Ghidra, Nsa Ghidra).
- No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
- Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (file handling), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationalsecurityagency | Ghidra | < 12.1 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| Nsa | Ghidra | < 12.1 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 4.6 | CVSS 4.0 | Medium | — | — | VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 3.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Low | 1.8 | 1.4 | disclosure@vulncheck.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 3.3 | CVSS 3.1 | Low | — | — | VulnCheck via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: disclosure@vulncheck.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.19%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Monitor file creation in web directories and paths with traversal sequences (../).
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · nationalsecurityagency/ghidra
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- CVSS changed · 3.3
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Record created in this database
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
2 on the record
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- High CVE-2026-100504 Ghidra through 12.1.4 Stack-based Buffer Overflow via leftshift128 19d
- Medium CVE-2026-100505 Ghidra 9.2 through 12.1.4 Heap Out-of-Bounds Read via StringManager 19d
- Medium CVE-2026-100503 Ghidra through 12.1.4 Heap Use-After-Free in Decompiler 19d
- High CVE-2026-18718 Ghidra Swift Demangler Analyzer Arbitrary Code Execution via Project State Aug 3, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-52759 Ghidra < 12.1.1 - Denial of Service via Uncontrolled Memory Allocation in Mach-O Parser Jun 10, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-52757 Ghidra < 12.1 - Heap-use-after-free in HighVariable::merge() during decompilation Jun 10, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2026-49497 is "Ghidra < 12.1 - Path Traversal via .gnu_debuglink in DWARF External Debug File Resolution", rated Low. It affects Ghidra (Nationalsecurityagency); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 3.3 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.19% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
Comments
Moderated technical discussion. Read the community guidelines.
No comments yet.
Sign in or create an account to comment and suggest corrections.