CVE-2026-18718: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mfcj-9frg-f2r4
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CVSS 7.0
CWE-427
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-18718 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.0) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-18718 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-18718
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mfcj-9frg-f2r4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.0
CWE Classification CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.0

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-18718

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-18718, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element, where the product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Ghidra contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in the Swift demangler analyzer that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary binaries by supplying a malicious Ghidra project with a crafted Swift tool directory path. When a victim opens the attacker-supplied project, SwiftDemanglerAnalyzer restores the persisted Swift binary directory from project state and SwiftNativeDemangler executes the resolved binary without integrity or signature verification, causing attacker-controlled executables to run under the Ghidra process user with no prompt or confirmation.

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories/GHSA-pcfh-853f-q3gh
NVD — CVE-2026-18718 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18718
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/c03a70d
app.notion.com/p/conditional-arbit... WEB
https://app.notion.com/p/Conditional-Arbitrary-Code-Execution-via-Swift-Demangler-Analyzer-ACE-GHIDRA-3a650723849f80679876df165fe4368b
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sn0x-sharma/CVE-2026-18718
sn0xs-organization.gitbook.io/sn0x-order.org/bb-w... WEB
https://sn0xs-organization.gitbook.io/sn0x-order.org/bb-web-hunt/critical/how-i-found-a-0-day-in-ghidra-shared-project-file-became-a-code-execution-vector
www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-s... WEB
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-swift-demangler-analyzer-arbitrary-code-execution-via-project-state

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-18718?
CVE-2026-18718 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-18718?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-18718?
CVE-2026-18718 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-18718?
CVE-2026-18718 is classified under CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element (The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-18718?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-mfcj-9frg-f2r4",
  "modified" : "2026-08-04T21:30:25Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-03T18:30:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-18718" ],
  "details" : "Ghidra contains an arbitrary code execution vulnerability in the Swift demangler analyzer that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary binaries by supplying a malicious Ghidra project with a crafted Swift tool directory path. When a victim opens the attacker-supplied project, SwiftDemanglerAnalyzer restores the persisted Swift binary directory from project state and SwiftNativeDemangler executes the resolved binary without integrity or signature verification, causing attacker-controlled executables to run under the Ghidra process user with no prompt or confirmation.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/security/advisories/GHSA-pcfh-853f-q3gh"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18718"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra/commit/c03a70d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://app.notion.com/p/Conditional-Arbitrary-Code-Execution-via-Swift-Demangler-Analyzer-ACE-GHIDRA-3a650723849f80679876df165fe4368b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sn0x-sharma/CVE-2026-18718"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://sn0xs-organization.gitbook.io/sn0x-order.org/bb-web-hunt/critical/how-i-found-a-0-day-in-ghidra-shared-project-file-became-a-code-execution-vector"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/ghidra-swift-demangler-analyzer-arbitrary-code-execution-via-project-state"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-427" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-03T17:16:36Z"
  }
}