# CVE-2026-21765: HCL BigFix Platform is affected by insecure permissions on private cryptographic keys

> Attackers can read private cryptographic keys due to insecure file permissions on Windows hosts, potentially compromising security.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Apr 2026
- **Updated:** 2 Apr 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cwpc-gq4p-xxwh

## What is CVE-2026-21765?

CVE-2026-21765 is a high-severity vulnerability in HCLSoftware BigFix Platform, published on 1 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

HCL BigFix Platform is affected by insecure permissions on private cryptographic keys.  The private cryptographic keys located on a Windows host machine might be subject to overly permissive file system permissions.

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource), CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-21765?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Hcltech Bigfix Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-21765?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-21765 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-21765 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-21765 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in HCLSoftware BigFix Platform

- [CVE-2023-37519](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-37519/): HCL BigFix Platform is affected by Unathenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2023-37520](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-37520/): HCL BigFix Platform is affected by Unathenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2020-14254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-14254/): Weak cryptography in HCL BigFix Inventory (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2022-42453](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-42453/): HCL BigFix Platform is affected by insufficient warnings (medium 6.9)
- [CVE-2024-23583](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-23583/): HCL BigFix Platform is susceptible to insufficiently protected credentials (medium 6.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-21765 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-21765 is a high-severity vulnerability in HCLSoftware BigFix Platform, published on 1 Apr 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-21765 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: HCLSoftware BigFix Platform. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-21765/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-21765/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-21765
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-21765
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-21765

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-21765/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.