nRF54H20: MCUBoot can be tricked to executing unauthenticated code

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2026-14296
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerYesWeHack
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2026-09-07 08:17:11 UTC
Updated2026-09-07 08:17:11 UTC
DescriptionWhen using the Direct XIP update strategy, the main application image starts other cores (i.e. radio core), based on the currently active slot without additional verification. The MCUboot in the bare (upstream) configuration assumes that if there is at least a single slot for each image available, the system is bootable and continues the boot process. This may lead to a situation when MCUboot picks different slot for different images (i.e. (a) for the main application and (b) for the radio image), boots the main application (from slot (a)) that afterwards starts the radio image by providing an address of the unauthenticated slot ((a) instead of (b)).

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.5 HIGH from 30a5e7fb-040d-440a-8cdf-a4a2068ce72e

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Problem Types: CWE-347 | CWE-347 CWE-347 Improper verification of cryptographic signature

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.130a5e7fb-040d-440a-8cdf-a4a2068ce72eSecondary7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.1CNACVSS7.5HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector
Adjacent
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Nordic Semiconductor ASA NRF54H20 affected 3.2 Not specified
CNA Nordic Semiconductor ASA NRF54H20 affected 3.3 Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
docs.nordicsemi.com/r/bundle/struct_sa/page/struct/sa.html 30a5e7fb-040d-440a-8cdf-a4a2068ce72e docs.nordicsemi.com
CVE Program record CVE.ORG www.cve.org canonical
NVD vulnerability detail NVD nvd.nist.gov canonical, analysis

Vendor Comments And Credit

Discovery Credit

CNA: Reported externally through PSIRT (en)

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