Skip to main content

N-able N-central EUVDEUVD-2026-72022

| CVE-2026-86207 HIGH
Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness (CWE-305)
2026-09-05 N-able GHSA-r94p-pw8f-8cwv
7.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: N-able
View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privilege N-central account
  2. Delivery
    Authenticate to N-central portal
  3. Exploit
    Identify internal-only API endpoints
  4. Execution
    Craft bypass request meeting AT:P condition
  5. Persist
    Access restricted internal API
  6. Impact
    Execute privileged operations on managed tenants

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Primary weakness mitigation
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires the attacker to hold at minimum a low-privilege authenticated session in the target N-central instance (PR:L in CVSS 4.0). Network-level access to the N-central server is also required (AV:N). The AT:P (Attack Requirements: Present) metric indicates a specific precondition - likely related to session state, a particular API request structure, or endpoint reachability - must be satisfied, though the vendor advisory does not publicly detail the exact trigger. Exploitation is limited to N-central versions strictly earlier than 2026.3 HF 3. Unauthenticated remote attackers without any N-central account cannot exploit this vulnerability. MSPs with strict least-privilege account management and IP-restricted access to the N-central console have a meaningfully lower exploitable attack surface.

Impact

The CVSS 4.0 score of 7.7 with VC:H/VI:H/VA:H on the vulnerable system signals high potential impact if the bypass is successfully triggered. The PR:L metric confirms this is not unauthenticated - an attacker must first have a valid low-privilege account in N-central, which meaningfully limits opportunistic exploitation from the public internet. AT:P further constrains exploitation by requiring specific conditions, reducing automated mass exploitation risk. EPSS data is not provided; given the narrow prerequisite (authenticated low-priv account), real-world exploitation probability should be lower than raw CVSS impact metrics suggest. The most critical risk amplifier is N-central's role as an MSP hub: a single compromised N-central instance may manage hundreds of customer environments, so privilege escalation to internal APIs could provide lateral movement vectors far beyond the N-central platform itself. No KEV listing or public exploit code is known at time of analysis.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has obtained or created a low-privilege account in an N-central instance - for example, a disgruntled MSP employee, a compromised technician credential, or a trial account - crafts requests to internal-only API endpoints that would normally be restricted to privileged backend services. By exploiting the authentication bypass, the attacker accesses these APIs without the expected privilege checks, potentially reading sensitive managed-device telemetry, escalating their own role, or issuing commands to managed endpoints across customer tenants. No public exploit code is known, so exploitation currently requires knowledge of the specific internal API paths and the bypass technique.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
1 public PoC Patch available 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 05, 2026

Authentication bypass in N-able N-central before version 2026.3 HF 3 permits low-privileged authenticated users to access internal-only APIs without proper authorization checks, achieving effective privilege escalation within the platform. N-central is a remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform used extensively by managed service providers (MSPs) to control customer endpoints, meaning unauthorized API access could cascade to managed devices across multiple customer environments. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis, but a vendor patch has been released as HF 3.

RemediationAI

Upgrade N-central to version 2026.3 HF 3 or later per the N-able release notes at https://documentation.n-able.com/N-central/Release_Notes/GA/Content/N-central_2026.3_HF3_Release_Notes.htm. This is the vendor-confirmed fix, and the security advisory at https://me.n-able.com/s/security-advisory/aArVy0000002LUzKAM/cve202686207-authentication-bypass-leads-to-unauthorised-access-to-ncentral provides official guidance. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the N-central administrative interface to trusted IP ranges or VPN-only networks to limit which authenticated users can reach the affected internal API endpoints; this reduces the attacker pool to insiders or VPN-authenticated users but does not eliminate the vulnerability. Audit existing low-privilege accounts and remove any that are unnecessary, minimizing the pool of accounts that could be used to trigger the bypass.

Affected VersionsENISA

N-central 0 <2026.3.1.13

Affected Packages

euvd n_central fix: 2026.3.1.13

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

N-central (CPE: cpe:2.3:a:n-able:n-central:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) is an enterprise-grade RMM platform that exposes both external and internal API surfaces. CWE-305 (Authentication Bypass by Primary Weakness) describes a flaw where the primary authentication mechanism can be bypassed at a secondary layer - in this case, internal-only APIs that rely on the caller having already been validated by the external authentication layer. These internal APIs are typically intended for inter-service or privileged backend communication and lack their own defense-in-depth authentication. The CVSS 4.0 vector specifies AT:P (Attack Requirements: Present), indicating a specific precondition must be met - likely a particular session state, token, or endpoint reachability - before the bypass can be triggered. PR:L confirms the attacker must hold at minimum a low-privilege authenticated session in N-central before exploiting the bypass.

Know when N Central gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

Vendor (N-able) PRIMARY 7.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 8.8 HIGH

Network-reachable, low-privilege required per CVSS 4.0 PR:L; full CIA impact on N-central's own data/services; no scope change beyond the vulnerable system.

3.1 AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (N-able).

CVSS VectorVendor: N-able

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch available
Sep 05, 2026 - 20:16 EUVD
CVE Published
Sep 05, 2026 - 19:12 cve.org
HIGH 7.7

DescriptionCVE.org

An authentication bypass in N-central < 2026.3 HF 3 leads to authentication bypass in internal only APIs

Latest POC

1 public PoC link from nuclei

Sign in to open the public PoC links collected for this CVE.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

N-able N-central, widely deployed by managed service providers to control customer IT infrastructure, contains an authentication bypass allowing internal privilege escalation. While no public exploits have been identified to date, this vulnerability creates potential for attackers to gain lateral access across an MSP's entire customer base if left unpatched. Immediate deployment of the available vendor patch is critical to prevent operational disruption and customer data exposure.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch: N-central 2026.3 HF 3.

Threat Model

3 threats: Elevation of Privilege, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service

5-step attack chain with trust boundaries and controls

Full threat model - attack chain, trust boundaries, controls per stage and evidence - is part of the Pro and Business plans.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 78% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
leading RMM platform widely deployed among MSPs, not general-purpose
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

58
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +38
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.

CVE-2026-86218 CRITICAL POC
10.0 Sep 06

Pre-authentication remote code execution in N-able N-central before 2026.3.1.14 allows unauthenticated remote attackers

CVE-2026-18577 HIGH POC
8.2 Aug 02

Authentication bypass and account takeover in N-able N-central through version 2026.3.1 stem from an incomplete remediat

CVE-2026-18556 HIGH POC
8.2 Aug 01

Authentication bypass in N-able N-central through version 2026.1 allows unauthenticated remote attackers to circumvent a

CVE-2025-11700 HIGH POC
8.4 Nov 12

N-able N-central remote monitoring and management platform versions before 2025.4 contain multiple XML External Entity i

CVE-2025-8876 CRITICAL
9.4 Aug 14

N-able N-central before 2025.3.1 contains an OS command injection through improper input validation, companion vulnerabi

CVE-2025-8875 CRITICAL
9.4 Aug 14

N-able N-central before 2025.3.1 contains a deserialization vulnerability allowing local code execution through crafted

CVE-2024-28200 CRITICAL POC
9.8 Jul 01

The N-central server is vulnerable to an authentication bypass of the user interface. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8)

CVE-2020-15909 HIGH POC
8.8 Oct 19

SolarWinds N-central through 2020.1 allows session hijacking and requires user interaction or physical access. Rated hig

CVE-2020-7984 HIGH POC
7.5 Jan 26

SolarWinds N-central before 12.1 SP1 HF5 and 12.2 before SP1 HF2 allows remote attackers to retrieve cleartext domain ad

CVE-2026-86206 MEDIUM POC
6.9 Sep 05

Unauthenticated remote access to restricted internal APIs is possible in N-able N-central due to an incomplete access co

CVE-2025-11367 CRITICAL
10.0 Nov 12

The N-central Software Probe < 2025.4 is vulnerable to Remote Code Execution via deserialization. Rated critical severit

CVE-2025-11366 CRITICAL
9.4 Nov 12

N-central < 2025.4 is vulnerable to authentication bypass via path traversal. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.4), this v

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy