---
id: CVE-2026-33243
title: barebox is a bootloader
summary: >-
  barebox is a bootloader. In barebox from version 2016.03.0 to before version
  2026.03.1 (and the corresponding backport to 2025.09.3), an attacker could
  exploit a FIT signature verification vulnerability to trick the bootloader
  into booti…
severity: high
cvss: 8.2
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-345
vendor: pengutronix
product: barebox
affected:
  - 'barebox >= 2016.03.0, < 2025.09.3'
  - 'barebox >= 2025.10.0, < 2026.03.1'
patched:
  - barebox 2026.03.1
published: '2026-03-20'
updated: '2026-09-11'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-11T15:55:06.403'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-33243'
references:
  - url: >-
      https://github.com/barebox/barebox/commit/aca01795056d51060cb096f9a1ea309361743e05
    label: security-advisories@github.com
  - url: 'https://github.com/barebox/barebox/security/advisories/GHSA-3fvj-q26p-j6h4'
    label: security-advisories@github.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.0011
epssPercentile: 0.01435
ingestedAt: '2026-09-11T16:45:47.842Z'
---

## Overview

barebox is a bootloader. In barebox from version 2016.03.0 to before version 2026.03.1 (and the corresponding backport to 2025.09.3), an attacker could exploit a FIT signature verification vulnerability to trick the bootloader into booting different images than those that were verified as part of a signed configuration. mkimage(1) sets the hashed-nodes property of the FIT signature node to list which nodes of the FIT were hashed as part of the signing process as these will need to be verified later on by the bootloader. However, hashed-nodes itself is not part of the hash and could therefore be modified to allow booting different images than those that have been verified. This issue has been patched in barebox versions 2026.03.1 and backported to 2025.09.3.

## Affected

- `barebox >= 2016.03.0, < 2025.09.3`
- `barebox >= 2025.10.0, < 2026.03.1`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `barebox 2026.03.1`