CVE-2026-52733

Am I affected

You are affected if:

1. You run zebrad up to and including v4.4.1.
2. Your node participates in a network where chain forks occur (mainnet, testnet, or any network with multiple miners).

All default configurations are affected. The corruption persists across restarts because it is written to RocksDB.

When pop_tip removes the tip block during a chain fork, stale Sapling and Orchard note commitment subtree root data is retained in the in-memory non-finalized state. When the chain subsequently finalizes, this stale data is written to the persistent RocksDB state. The corrupted subtree root history affects z_getsubtreesbyindex (used by lightwalletd for wallet synchronization) and could affect future chain verification that depends on correct subtree roots.

Details

The non-finalized state provides two methods for removing blocks: pop_root (removes the oldest block during finalization) and pop_tip (removes the newest block during a fork revert). pop_root correctly cleans up note commitment subtree contributions. pop_tip does not: it removes the block but retains the block's subtree root contributions in the in-memory state.

When a chain fork occurs and pop_tip reverts the old tip, the winning fork's chain is extended. When that chain is later finalized, the stale subtree data from the reverted blocks is included in the RocksDB write batch and persisted to disk.

The pop_root/pop_tip asymmetry is specific to subtree root handling. Other state managed by pop_tip (nullifiers, UTXOs, anchors, block hashes) uses different cleanup patterns that are not affected.

Workarounds

There is no configuration-level workaround. Chain forks are natural events on any Proof-of-Work network. Operators can mitigate the downstream impact by periodically verifying subtree root consistency using z_getsubtreesbyindex against a known-good reference.

Credit

Reported by @dingledropper via a private GitHub Security Advisory submission.

Persistent corruption of Sapling and Orchard subtree root history in the RocksDB state database. The corruption survives node restarts. Downstream consumers that rely on z_getsubtreesbyindex for wallet synchronization (primarily lightwalletd and light wallets) receive incorrect subtree roots. This does not directly affect consensus validation of new blocks but can cause wallet synchronization failures or incorrect wallet state. Recovery requires rebuilding the state database from scratch.

CVE-2026-52733 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (7.0.0, 4.5.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Kodem intelligence

zebra-state 7.0.0 and zebrad 4.5.0.

The fix adds subtree root cleanup to pop_tip matching the pattern already used by pop_root.

1. What is CVE-2026-52733? CVE-2026-52733 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in zebra-state (rust), affecting versions <= 6.0.0. It is fixed in 7.0.0, 4.5.0.
2. How severe is CVE-2026-52733? CVE-2026-52733 has a CVSS score of 6.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2026-52733?
   • zebra-state (rust) (versions <= 6.0.0)
   • zebrad (rust) (versions <= 4.4.1)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2026-52733? Yes. CVE-2026-52733 is fixed in 7.0.0, 4.5.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2026-52733 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2026-52733 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2026-52733 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2026-52733?
   • Upgrade zebra-state to 7.0.0 or later
   • Upgrade zebrad to 4.5.0 or later