CVE-2026-7373
Metasploit Pro on Windows: Local Privilege Escalation via OpenSSL Configuration File Loading
Description
Rapid7 Metasploit Pro is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack that allows a user to gain SYSTEM level control of a Windows host. When started the metasploitPostgreSQL service would start the postgres.exe child process which would in turn load an OpenSSL configuration file from a static location. This static location would be writable by a pre-existing "vagrant" user, if they already existed on the system. Metasploit does not create local accounts, an Administrator would need to create it. By planting a crafted openssl.cnf file an attacker can trick the high-privilege service into executing arbitrary commands. This effectively permits the unprivileged vagrant user to bypass security controls and achieve a full host compromise under the agent's SYSTEM level access.
INFO
Published Date :
May 15, 2026, 3:16 a.m.
Last Modified :
May 19, 2026, 11:16 p.m.
Remotely Exploit :
No
Source :
[email protected]
CVSS Scores
| Score | Version | Severity | Vector | Exploitability Score | Impact Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | 9974b330-7714-4307-a722-5648477acda7 | ||||
| CVSS 4.0 | HIGH | [email protected] |
Solution
- Configure file permissions for OpenSSL configuration.
- Restrict write access to the OpenSSL configuration directory.
- Ensure services load configuration from trusted locations.
- Update software to the latest version.
References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
Here, you will find a curated list of external links that provide in-depth
information, practical solutions, and valuable tools related to
CVE-2026-7373.
| URL | Resource |
|---|---|
| https://docs.rapid7.com/insight/release-notes-5.0.0-2026051301/#:~:text=Pro%3A%20We%20fixed,vulnerability%20to%20Rapid7. |
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration
While CVE identifies
specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or
weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-7373 is
associated with the following CWEs:
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification (CAPEC)
Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification
(CAPEC)
stores attack patterns, which are descriptions of the common attributes and
approaches employed by adversaries to exploit the CVE-2026-7373
weaknesses.
We scan GitHub repositories to detect new proof-of-concept exploits. Following list is a collection of public exploits and proof-of-concepts, which have been published on GitHub (sorted by the most recently updated).
Results are limited to the first 15 repositories due to potential performance issues.
The following list is the news that have been mention
CVE-2026-7373 vulnerability anywhere in the article.
The following table lists the changes that have been made to the
CVE-2026-7373 vulnerability over time.
Vulnerability history details can be useful for understanding the evolution of a vulnerability, and for identifying the most recent changes that may impact the vulnerability's severity, exploitability, or other characteristics.
-
CVE Modified by [email protected]
May. 19, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Changed Description Rapid7 Metasploit Pro is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack that allows users to gain SYSTEM level control of a Windows host. Upon startup the metasploitPostgreSQL service the subsequent postgres.exe service attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file from a non-existent directory that is writable by standard users. By planting a crafted openssl.cnf file an attacker can trick the high-privilege service into executing arbitrary commands. This effectively permits an unprivileged user to bypass security controls and achieve a full host compromise under the agent's SYSTEM level access. Rapid7 Metasploit Pro is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack that allows a user to gain SYSTEM level control of a Windows host. When started the metasploitPostgreSQL service would start the postgres.exe child process which would in turn load an OpenSSL configuration file from a static location. This static location would be writable by a pre-existing "vagrant" user, if they already existed on the system. Metasploit does not create local accounts, an Administrator would need to create it. By planting a crafted openssl.cnf file an attacker can trick the high-privilege service into executing arbitrary commands. This effectively permits the unprivileged vagrant user to bypass security controls and achieve a full host compromise under the agent's SYSTEM level access. -
CVE Modified by [email protected]
May. 18, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Reference https://docs.rapid7.com/insight/release-notes-5.0.0-2026051301/#:~:text=Pro%3A%20We%20fixed,vulnerability%20to%20Rapid7. Removed Reference https://docs.rapid7.com/insight/metasploit-pro-release-notes/ -
New CVE Received by [email protected]
May. 15, 2026
Action Type Old Value New Value Added Description Rapid7 Metasploit Pro is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack that allows users to gain SYSTEM level control of a Windows host. Upon startup the metasploitPostgreSQL service the subsequent postgres.exe service attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file from a non-existent directory that is writable by standard users. By planting a crafted openssl.cnf file an attacker can trick the high-privilege service into executing arbitrary commands. This effectively permits an unprivileged user to bypass security controls and achieve a full host compromise under the agent's SYSTEM level access. Added CVSS V4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:L/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:P/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X Added CWE CWE-284 Added CWE CWE-427 Added CWE CWE-829 Added Reference https://docs.rapid7.com/insight/metasploit-pro-release-notes/