1. Home
  2. Vulnerabilities
  3. CVE-2026-86218
Known Exploited Vulnerability
10.0
CRITICAL CVSS 4.0
CVE-2026-86218
N-able N-central Static Code Injection Vulnerability - [Actively Exploited]
Overview
Description

N-central is vulnerable to a pre-auth remote code execution This issue affects N-central: before 2026.3.1.14.

Details
INFO

Published Date :

Sept. 6, 2026, 3:17 a.m.

Last Modified :

Sept. 9, 2026, 5:18 a.m.

Remotely Exploit :

Yes !

Source :

a5532a13-c4dd-4202-bef1-e0b8f2f8d12b
CISA Notification
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

For the benefit of the cybersecurity community and network defenders—and to help every organization better manage vulnerabilities and keep pace with threat activity—CISA maintains the authoritative source of vulnerabilities that have been exploited in the wild.

Description :

N-able N-central contains a static code injection vulnerability that could allow for pre-authentication remote code execution.

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.

Known Ransomware Campaign Use:

Unknown

Notes :

https://status.n-able.com/2026/09/06/n-central-2026-3-hotfix-4-cve-2026-86218/ ; https://me.n-able.com/s/security-advisory/aArVy0000002Ld3KAE/cve202686218-preauthentication-remote-code-execution ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-86218

Impact
Affected Products

The following products are affected by CVE-2026-86218 vulnerability. Even if cvefeed.io is aware of the exact versions of the products that are affected, the information is not represented in the table below.

ID Vendor Product Action
1 N-able n-central
: Total Affected Vendor : 1 | Products : 1
Scoring
CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System is a standardized framework for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities in software and systems. We collect and displays CVSS scores from various sources for each CVE.
Score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Score Impact Score Source
CVSS 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
CVSS 3.1 CRITICAL [email protected]
CVSS 4.0 CRITICAL a5532a13-c4dd-4202-bef1-e0b8f2f8d12b
CVSS 4.0 CRITICAL a5532a13-c4dd-4202-bef1-e0b8f2f8d12b
Solution
Update N-central to version 2026.3.1.14 or later to fix RCE.
  • Upgrade N-central to version 2026.3.1.14 or later.
  • Apply vendor patches when available.
  • Ensure systems are updated regularly.
References
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-2026-86218.

URL Resource
https://me.n-able.com/s/security-advisory/aArVy0000002Ld3KAE/cve202686218-preauthentication-remote-code-execution Vendor Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-86218 US Government Resource
CWE - Common Weakness Enumeration

While CVE identifies specific instances of vulnerabilities, CWE categorizes the common flaws or weaknesses that can lead to vulnerabilities. CVE-2026-86218 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-2026-86218 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-2026-86218 vulnerability anywhere in the article.

  • TheCyberThrone
CISA KEV Update – 8 Vulnerabilities Added in Two Days

CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog saw a significant two-day update on September 8 and September 9, 2026, with eight vulnerabilities added based on evidence of active exploitation.CI ... Read more

Published Date: Sep 10, 2026 (2 weeks, 2 days ago)
  • The Hacker News
N-able N-central Pre-Auth RCE Flaw Exploited in the Wild

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Tuesday added a maximum-severity security flaw impacting N-able N-central to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requ ... Read more

Published Date: Sep 09, 2026 (2 weeks, 3 days ago)
  • security.nl
N-able waarschuwt voor misbruik van kritiek lek in N-central RMM-servers

Softwarebedrijf N-able waarschuwt voor actief misbruik van een kritieke kwetsbaarheid in N-central, een remote monitoring en management' (RMM) oplossing. Via het beveiligingslek (CVE-2026-86218) kan e ... Read more

Published Date: Sep 07, 2026 (2 weeks, 4 days ago)
  • The Hacker News
N-able Issues Fourth N-central Hotfix in Five Weeks for Unauthenticated RCE Flaw

Every on-premises N-central build below 2026.3.1.14 — including servers updated to Hotfix 3 a day earlier — needs Hotfix 4. N-able's incident notice says the flaw has been exploited in the wild; its r ... Read more

Published Date: Sep 07, 2026 (2 weeks, 4 days ago)

Results are limited to the first 20 news articles due to potential performance issues.

The following table lists the changes that have been made to the CVE-2026-86218 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 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Sep. 09, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'active'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-08T18:44:13.538607Z'} {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'active'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-07T00:00:00+00:00'}
  • Initial Analysis by [email protected]

    Sep. 08, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added CVSS V3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    Added CPE Configuration OR *cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 2026.3 *cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:2026.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:2026.3:hotfix1:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:2026.3:hotfix2:*:*:*:*:*:* *cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:2026.3:hotfix3:*:*:*:*:*:*
    Added Reference Type CISA-ADP: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-86218 Types: US Government Resource
    Added Reference Type N-able: https://me.n-able.com/s/security-advisory/aArVy0000002Ld3KAE/cve202686218-preauthentication-remote-code-execution Types: Vendor Advisory
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Sep. 08, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Reference https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-86218
    Changed SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-07T00:00:00+00:00'} {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'active'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-08T18:44:13.538607Z'}
  • CVE CISA KEV Update by 9119a7d8-5eab-497f-8521-727c672e3725

    Sep. 08, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Date Added 2026-09-08
    Added Due Date 2026-09-08
    Added Required Action 2026-09-08
    Added Vulnerability Name 2026-09-08
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Sep. 08, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Changed SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-07T10:54:50.308613Z'} {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-07T00:00:00+00:00'}
  • CVE Modified by 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    Sep. 07, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added SSVC {'id': 'CVE-2026-86218', 'role': 'CISA Coordinator', 'options': [{'exploitation': 'none'}, {'automatable': 'yes'}, {'technicalImpact': 'total'}], 'version': '2.0.3', 'timestamp': '2026-09-07T10:54:50.308613Z'}
  • New CVE Received by a5532a13-c4dd-4202-bef1-e0b8f2f8d12b

    Sep. 06, 2026

    Action Type Old Value New Value
    Added Description N-central is vulnerable to a pre-auth remote code execution This issue affects N-central: before 2026.3.1.14.
    Added CVSS V4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/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-96
    Added Affected New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/86xxx/CVE-2026-86218.json">CVE-2026-86218</a>
    Added Reference https://me.n-able.com/s/security-advisory/aArVy0000002Ld3KAE/cve202686218-preauthentication-remote-code-execution
EPSS is a daily estimate of the probability of exploitation activity being observed over the next 30 days. Following chart shows the EPSS score history of the vulnerability.
CVSS
Vulnerability Scoring Details
Base CVSS Score: 10
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Attack Requirements
Privileges Required
User Interaction
VS Confidentiality
VS Integrity
VS Availability
SS Confidentiality
SS Integrity
SS Availability
Base CVSS Score: 9.8
Attack Vector
Attack Complexity
Privileges Required
User Interaction
Scope
Confidentiality Impact
Integrity Impact
Availability Impact