# CVE-2026-49496: NSA Ghidra heap-use-after-free in SleighBuilder::generatePointerAdd

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-49496-nsa-ghidra-heap-use-after-free-in-sleighbuilder  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-06-10. Updated: 2026-06-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-49496 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.1 · Published 2026-06-10

Ghidra is a software reverse engineering suite used to analyze compiled code. A memory safety flaw in its C++ backend allows a specially crafted malicious binary to crash the application or potentially execute unauthorized code when a user attempts to decompile it. This primarily affects third-party tools and services that integrate Ghidra's SLEIGH library for code analysis.

Technologies: [National Security Agency Ghidra](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/ghidra). Vendors: [National Security Agency](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/national-security-agency).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-49496 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-49496 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-49496?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.1, published 10 June 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** National Security Agency Ghidra < 12.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-49496?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2026-49496 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-49496?** Check whether you run National Security Agency Ghidra at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Technical details

A heap-use-after-free vulnerability exists in Ghidra's SLEIGH C++ engine due to iterator invalidation. In SleighBuilder::generatePointerAdd, the code maintains a raw pointer to an element within a std::vector. When PcodeCacher::allocateInstruction calls emplace_back(), the vector may reallocate its internal buffer, rendering the original pointer dangling. Subsequent read/write operations on this pointer result in memory corruption. This is reachable via the public Sleigh::oneInstruction C++ API when processing malicious input. The issue is fixed in version 12.1.

## Affected products

- NSA Ghidra < 12.1

## Timeline

- 2026-05-14: advisory: GitHub Security Advisory published
- 2026-06-10: disclosed: NVD publication date

## References

- [https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/8a3018d5efcb07d2ec40bacdd6063cb6f01c8edf](https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/8a3018d5efcb07d2ec40bacdd6063cb6f01c8edf)
- [https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories/GHSA-gqh9-2c72-wpjc](https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories/GHSA-gqh9-2c72-wpjc)
- [https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-heap-use-after-free-in-sleighbuilder-generatepointeradd-via-vector-reallocation](https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-heap-use-after-free-in-sleighbuilder-generatepointeradd-via-vector-reallocation)

## Related threats

- [Ghidra zip bomb in extension extraction](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115503-ghidra-before-12-2-contains-an-improper-handling-of-highly)
- [Ghidra resource allocation without limits in extension extraction](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115397-ghidra-before-12-2-contains-a-resource-allocation-without-limits)
- [Ghidra zip bomb vulnerability in theme import](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115396-ghidra-10-3-before-12-2-contains-an-improper-handling-of-highly)
- [Ghidra resource exhaustion in theme ZIP extraction](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115395-ghidra-10-3-before-12-2-contains-a-resource-allocation-without)
- [National Security Agency Ghidra heap out-of-bounds read in StringManager](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-100505-ghidra-versions-11-2-through-12-1-4-contain-a-heap-out-of-bounds)