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

What it is

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

Exploitation evidence

First exploit evidence seen: 2026-08-14 (earliest date across the sources below).

Exploited in the wild

• CISA KEV: listed since 2026-08-26. Source

Public exploit code

GitHub proof-of-concept repositories

5 public repositories from 5 accounts, first seen 2026-08-14. Most starred: securekomodo/citrixInspector (96 stars), view repository.

Verify before running: public PoCs can be malicious. Read the code and only run it in an isolated lab. A PoC means exploit code is public, not that this CVE is exploited in the wild.

Sources: CISA KEV · nomi-sec/PoC-in-GitHub.

How to fix it

CISA required action

Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines. (source: CISA KEV)

Fixed versions

• citrix netscaler application delivery controller: upgrade to 13.1-37.272 or later
• citrix netscaler application delivery controller: upgrade to 13.1-63.18 or later (affected from 13.1)
• citrix netscaler application delivery controller: upgrade to 14.1-72.61 or later (affected from 14.1)
• citrix netscaler gateway: upgrade to 13.1-63.18 or later (affected from 13.1)
• citrix netscaler gateway: upgrade to 14.1-72.61 or later (affected from 14.1)

Derived from the NVD CPE configuration (versionEndExcluding / versionEndIncluding). Always confirm with the vendor advisory.

Vendor advisories and patches

• https://support.citrix.com/support-home/kbsearch/article?articleNumber=CTX696604 (CISA KEV notes)

MITRE ATT&CK mitigations for this chain

• M1050 Exploit Protection (for T1203) : Security applications that look for behavior used during exploitation such as Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG) and the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) can be used to mitigate some exploitation behavior. Control flow integrity checking is another way to potentially identify and stop a software exploi
• M1051 Update Software (for T1203) : Perform regular software updates to mitigate exploitation risk. Keeping software up-to-date with the latest security patches helps prevent adversaries from exploiting known vulnerabilities in client software, reducing the risk of successful attacks.
• M1048 Application Isolation and Sandboxing (for T1203) : Browser sandboxes can be used to mitigate some of the impact of exploitation, but sandbox escapes may still exist. Other types of virtualization and application microsegmentation may also mitigate the impact of client-side exploitation. Risks of additional exploits and weaknesses in those systems may still exist.
• M1037 Filter Network Traffic (for T1499) : Leverage services provided by Content Delivery Networks (CDN) or providers specializing in DoS mitigations to filter traffic upstream from services. Filter boundary traffic by blocking source addresses sourcing the attack, blocking ports that are being targeted, or blocking protocols being used for transport. To defend

Detection Generic guidance

• Execution: Watch for the service process spawning shells or script interpreters (cmd.exe, powershell, sh, bash, python) via EDR process-tree rules.
• Impact: Monitor service availability, unexpected encryption activity and mass file changes.

Response checklist Generic guidance

1. Inventory: find every instance of the affected product and version (include internet-facing and forgotten ones).
2. Patch or mitigate per the vendor advisory; if you cannot patch, remove internet exposure or apply the vendor workaround.
3. Assume compromise if the system was exposed before patching: hunt for the indicators in the advisory and review logs back to the disclosure date.
4. Rotate credentials and secrets stored on or used by the affected system if compromise cannot be ruled out.