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ServiceNow AI Platform EUVDEUVD-2026-86395

| CVE-2026-86858 HIGH
Improper Access Control (CWE-284)
2026-09-24 SN GHSA-g4fh-c3m5-g3pg
8.7
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: SN
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Attack ChainAIDerived

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

  1. Access
    Reach exposed ServiceNow AI Platform instance
  2. Exploit
    Send crafted unauthenticated request
  3. Execution
    Bypass improper access control
  4. Impact
    Create, modify, or delete instance data

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V8 - Authorization Access control enforcement
MITRE ATT&CK

1 technique across 1 tactic: Defense Evasion

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation targets the ServiceNow AI Platform and, per the CVSS vector, requires no authentication, no user interaction, and only network reachability to the instance (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N/AC:L). However, ServiceNow explicitly limits this to 'certain circumstances,' meaning it is NOT universally exploitable against every default deployment - undisclosed configuration or state preconditions gate the flaw, though the vendor did not name them. Practical limiting factors: hosted (SaaS) instances were already patched by ServiceNow in August 2026, so residual exposure is concentrated in self-hosted and partner-managed instances that have not yet applied the update. Impact is confined to data integrity (create/modify/delete records); there is no confidentiality or availability impact per the vector.

Impact

The vendor-supplied CVSS 4.0 vector (CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N, score 8.7) describes a network-reachable, low-complexity, pre-authentication (PR:N) improper-access-control flaw whose sole impact is integrity (VI:H) - the ability to create, modify, or delete instance data - with no confidentiality (VC:N) or availability (VA:N) impact. There is no EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public exploit in the provided data; ServiceNow explicitly states it is 'not currently aware of malicious exploitation.' So this is a genuinely high-severity, unauthenticated data-tampering issue on a widely deployed enterprise platform, but with no evidence of active exploitation to date, priority is driven by the severity and pre-auth reachability rather than by an in-the-wild signal. Two caveats must be stated explicitly: (1) the description says the flaw is exploitable only 'in certain circumstances,' which is in tension with the AC:L/PR:N vector - the true attack complexity and required preconditions are not disclosed, so real-world exploitability may be narrower than the score implies; (2) the input Tag 'Information Disclosure' contradicts the CVSS vector, which shows VC:N and VI:H - this is a data-integrity/tampering issue, not a disclosure issue.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An unauthenticated remote attacker sends crafted requests to an exposed ServiceNow AI Platform instance and, under the conditions the vendor left unspecified, bypasses access controls to create, alter, or delete records beyond their intended scope - for example tampering with or destroying business records. No public proof-of-concept is available and the vendor reports no known exploitation, and the attack is limited by the 'in certain circumstances' preconditions noted in the advisory.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.3% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Sep 24, 2026

Unauthenticated network requests against unpatched ServiceNow AI Platform instances can create, modify, or delete instance data beyond what was intended, per a vendor-remediated improper access control flaw rated 8.7 under CVSS 4.0 (independent assessment: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N). Impact is integrity-only - no confidentiality or availability loss is described - and ServiceNow scopes exploitation to "certain circumstances," so the flaw is not universally reachable on every default deployment and undisclosed configuration preconditions appear to gate it. ServiceNow patched hosted instances in August 2026 and shipped the update to partners and self-hosted customers, leaving residual exposure concentrated in self-hosted and partner-managed instances that have not yet applied it. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation (no CISA KEV listing) were identified at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Apply the August 2026 ServiceNow security update or upgrade to a patched release - ServiceNow delivered this to hosted instances and made it available to partners and self-hosted customers - and confirm the applicable release for your family via the vendor advisory at https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB3159623; the available data does not publish an exact versioned fix identifier, so the vendor advisory is the authoritative source (patch available per vendor advisory). Because exploitation is gated by "certain circumstances" that the vendor did not disclose, until patching is complete consider targeted compensating controls: restrict network reachability to the instance via VPN, IP allowlists, or a WAF so that only trusted networks can reach its URLs (trade-off: this breaks external integrations, service portals, and mobile access unless those paths are explicitly allowlisted); review and tighten ACLs and role assignments that grant create/write/delete on records to unauthenticated or public/guest contexts, especially on scripted REST endpoints (trade-off: over-tightening can break self-service portals and integrations, so test in a sub-production instance first); and enable and monitor audit logging (e.g., sys_audit and transaction logs) for anomalous create/update/delete volume from unauthenticated sessions, since the flaw permits record tampering that may otherwise go unnoticed. Note that no vendor workaround beyond the update was published, so access restriction plus ACL review are the primary interim measures, and prior backups should be retained to recover altered records given the integrity-only impact. No public exploit code and no confirmed active exploitation were identified at time of analysis.

Affected VersionsENISA

ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Australia Patch 5
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Australia Patch 4 Hot Fix 3
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Zurich Patch 10 Hot Fix 3b
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Yokohama Patch 13 Hot Fix 5a
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Australia Patch 2 Hot Fix 4b W32
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Zurich Patch 11 Hot Fix 3
ServiceNow AI Platform 0 <Zurich Patch 10 Hot Fix 4a W32

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

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

Technical ContextAI · show details

The ServiceNow AI Platform is a multi-tenant workflow/ITSM platform whose data model, REST and scripted APIs, and Access Control List (ACL) engine mediate every read and write against records (tables such as task, sys_user, and custom scoped tables). This is an improper access control class defect (no CWE was assigned by the vendor in the available data): an authorization decision that should have rejected a request instead permitted it, allowing record creation, modification, or deletion. The vendor CVSS 4.0 vector CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N and the independent CVSS 3.1 mapping agree on the essentials - network-reachable, low complexity, no privileges required (PR:N), no user interaction, and a high integrity impact with no confidentiality or availability effect. The absence of subsequent-system metrics (SC:N/SI:N/SA:N) indicates the flaw is confined to the ServiceNow instance itself rather than pivoting into connected systems. The vendor's own qualifier that exploitation is possible only "in certain circumstances" is significant: despite PR:N, the defect is not a blanket unauthenticated write on every instance, implying a specific configuration or state (for example, a particular ACL, guest/public role assignment, or integration endpoint) must be present. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:servicenow:servicenow_ai_platform:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* carries wildcard versioning ambiguity, so version-level scoping must come from the vendor advisory rather than the CPE.

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Severity by source

Vendor (SN) PRIMARY 8.7 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.5 HIGH

Vendor states unauthenticated (PR:N), network-reachable (AV:N), no interaction (UI:N); impact is data create/modify/delete only, so I:H with C:N/A:N; AC:L kept per vendor though 'certain circumstances' could argue AC:H.

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

Primary rating from Vendor (SN).

CVSS VectorVendor: SN

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

DescriptionCVE.org

ServiceNow has remediated an improper access control security issue that was identified in the ServiceNow AI Platform. This security issue could enable an unauthenticated user, in certain circumstances, to create, modify, or delete instance data beyond what was intended.

In August 2026, ServiceNow deployed a security update to hosted instances and ServiceNow provided the update to our partners and self-hosted customers. We are not currently aware of malicious exploitation against ServiceNow instances. We recommend customers promptly apply appropriate updates or upgrade to a patched release if they have not already done so.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

ServiceNow AI Platform instances, particularly self-hosted and partner-managed deployments, are affected by CVE-2026-86858, a high-severity improper access control flaw (CVSS 8.7) that allows unauthenticated attackers to create, modify, or delete data, threatening data integrity. Although no public exploit or active exploitation has been identified, the vulnerability's unauthenticated network attack vector and potential for unauthorized data manipulation could disrupt business operations, erode trust in ServiceNow data, and lead to compliance issues. Leadership should prioritize applying mitigations or patches to affected instances to prevent operational and reputational damage.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations include restricting network access to trusted IPs, enforcing multi-factor authentication and least-privilege access, enabling detailed audit logging for data modifications, and monitoring for anomalous activity; apply any configuration hardening or workarounds provided by ServiceNow.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.3%
Top 82% exploitable
Prevalence
High
ServiceNow is a widely deployed enterprise SaaS/ITSM platform
Data Quality
4 sources
Confidence: Medium

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 No
EPSS 0.3%
Patch available No
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
Yes
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

44
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
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.

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