# CVE-2026-8452: Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

> Attackers can cause denial of service via memory overflow in NetScaler ADC and Gateway when configured as a Gateway or AAA virtual server.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:L/VA:H/SC:L/SI:L/SA:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 26 Aug 2026 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 30 Jun 2026
- **Updated:** 27 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-r7wg-r5wj-c765

## What is CVE-2026-8452?

CVE-2026-8452 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NetScaler ADC, published on 30 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Memory overflow vulnerability NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway leading to unpredictable or erroneous behavior and Denial of Service if the appliance is configured as a Gateway (SSL VPN, ICA Proxy, CVPN, RDP Proxy) or AAA virtual server

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-8452?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Citrix NetScaler ADC, Citrix Netscaler Gateway.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-8452?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-8452 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 29 Aug 2026.

## Is CVE-2026-8452 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-8452 in the wild since at least 26 Aug 2026.

Public exploit code:

- Passively fingerprint Citrix ADC / NetScaler ADC & Gateway builds and detect known CVEs — CVE-2023-3519, CitrixBleed 2/3, CVE-2026-8452, and CVE-2026-88771/88772 (KEV) (github_poc): https://github.com/securekomodo/citrixInspector
- CVE-2026-8452 PreAuth RCE (github_poc): https://github.com/watchtowrlabs/watchTowr-vs-Citrix-Netscaler-PreAuth-RCE-CVE-2026-8452
- Safely detect Citrix NetScaler CVE-2026-8452 (github_poc): https://github.com/BishopFox/CVE-2026-8452-check
- CitrixBleed Exploit Tool - CVE-2025-5777 & CVE-2026-8452. Unauthenticated remote memory read from Citrix NetScaler ADC & Gateway. Steal admin session tokens, extract nsroot hashes, dump secrets, and bypass MFA. Python 3 exploit with full memory parsing. (github_poc): https://github.com/maxprog-svg/CitrixBleedCVE-2026-8452-2025-5777
- A complete guide and workflow for integrating Agile sprints with DevOps CI/CD pipelines. (github_poc): https://github.com/techupdate24/citrix-netscaler-cve-2026-8452-rce

## Other vulnerabilities in NetScaler ADC

- [CVE-2023-3519](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3519/): Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway Code Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-88771](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88771/): Citrix NetScaler Improper Input Validation (critical 9.5, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-88772](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-88772/): Citrix NetScaler Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (critical 9.5, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-4966](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4966/): Citrix NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway Buffer Overflow (critical 9.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-19490](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-19490/): Citrix NetScaler Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (critical 9.3, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-8452 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-8452 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in NetScaler ADC, published on 30 Jun 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2026-8452 in the wild since at least 26 Aug 2026.

Affected product: NetScaler ADC. 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-2026-8452/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8452/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-8452
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-8452
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-8452

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-8452/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.