JVM crash via unbounded Mach-O command allocation
Published Jun 10, 2026 · Updated Jun 10, 2026
Uncontrolled memory allocation in Ghidra before 12.1.1 allows attackers to crash the JVM by importing a crafted Mach-O binary. The MachHeader.parse method trusts the header's ncmds value as a loop bound and grows a command ArrayList without checking whether the file contains that many load commands. Exploitation requires an analyst or automated pipeline to import the file, causing heap exhaustion, loss of unsaved work, and interruption of the analysis session or queue.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled memory allocation in Ghidra before 12.1.1 allows attackers to crash the JVM by importing a crafted Mach-O binary. The MachHeader.parse method trusts the header's ncmds value as a loop bound and grows a command ArrayList without checking whether the file contains that many load commands. Exploitation requires an analyst or automated pipeline to import the file, causing heap exhaustion, loss of unsaved work, and interruption of the analysis session or queue.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-52759
- Published
- Jun 10, 2026
- Updated
- Jun 10, 2026
- Vendor
- National Security Agency
- Product
- Ghidra
- Classifications
- CWE-789, CWE-400, T1499.004, T1204.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 10, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jun 10, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <12.1.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- GHSA-v6c3-h9cp-3whf Mach-O PoC filesproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo