CVE Intelligence
Critical Integrity

CVE-2026-54496 — Missing copy constraint in halo2_gadgets variable-base scalar multiplication allows under-constrained base, breaking Orchard Action circuit soundness

ZEBRA is a Zcash node written entirely in Rust. Prior to zebrad 5.0.0, halo2_gadgets 0.5.0, orchard 0.14.0, zcash_primitives 0.28.0, and zcashd 6.20.0, the variable-base scalar multiplication gadget in halo2_gadgets/src/ecc/chip/mul/incomplete.rs used assign_advice() for the base point without a copy constraint tying it to the actual base, allowing a malicious prover to produce a valid proof for an Orchard Action with an under-constrained base point and bypass the diversified-address-integrity check that binds pk_d, g_d, ivk, the nullifier (nf), and the spend validating key (ak) to the note being spent. This issue is fixed in zebrad 5.0.0, halo2_gadgets 0.5.0, orchard 0.14.0, zcash_primitives 0.28.0, and zcashd 6.20.0.

Published Jul 17, 2026 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • Technical severity (critical)+10
  • Automatable exploitation (SSVC)+3

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.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
—
No EPSS score.
Affects
Zcash
Halo2 Gadgets and 4 more
CVSS base
9.3
Critical · 2 source(s)

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.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
Yes
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

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.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Zcash Halo2 Gadgets, Zcash Librustzcash, Zcash Orchard…).
  2. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
  3. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  4. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (integrity), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Zcash Halo2 Gadgets version < 0.5.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Zcash Librustzcash version < 0.28.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Zcash Orchard version < 0.14.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Zcash Zcash version < 6.20.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
ZcashFoundation Zebra version < 5.0.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
Low

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
9.3 CVSS 3.1 Critical 3.9 4.7 security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
9.3 CVSS 3.1 Critical — — GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L (score shown at the top: security-advisories@github.com)

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-345 · Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
web/proxy/WAF logsnetwork IDS/IPS

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · zcashfoundation/zebra, zcash/halo2 gadgets, zcash/orchard, zcash/librustzcash, zcash/zcash
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 15, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 9.3
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 15, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVE published
    Jul 17, 2026 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 15, 2026 – Oct 15, 2026

References

7 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Zcash
every CVE for this vendor
Integrity
same class
CWE-345
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-109364 Zebra 2.3.0 before 6.4.0 Peer Ban Bypass via Exact-IP Keying 3d
  • CVE-2026-109366 Zebra before 6.4.0 Gossiped Block Drop via Forged Coinbase scriptSig Height 3d
  • CVE-2026-109365 Zebra before 6.4.0 Denial of Service via Same-Hash Forged Block Bodies 3d
  • CVE-2026-109363 Zebra 6.4.0 before 6.4.2 Denial of Service via Malformed v6 Transaction 3d
  • CVE-2026-52739 ZEBRA: Repeated Non-Finalized Shielded Transaction Aborts Zebra Before Duplicate-Nullifier Rejection Aug 18, 2026
  • CVE-2026-52829 ZEBRA: IPv4-Mapped Mempool Misbehavior Update Aborts Zebra Address Book Aug 18, 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 FIRST EPSS score.
  • 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-2026-54496 is "Missing copy constraint in halo2_gadgets variable-base scalar multiplication allows under-constrained base, breaking Orchard Action circuit soundness", rated Critical. It affects Halo2 Gadgets (Zcash); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 9.3 describes technical severity. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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