Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain low-privileged local Windows access
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DeliveryFind non-admin-writable PATH directory ahead of VS Code
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ExploitPlant malicious executable named code
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ExecutionSYSTEM agent runs assessment check
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PersistAgent resolves code from PATH
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ImpactExecute arbitrary code as SYSTEM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Search path element control
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| Exploitation Conditions | Requires an authenticated low-privileged local user on a Windows endpoint running the Rapid7 Insight Agent while it executes InsightVM assessment content at or below version 0.0.261.0. The critical enabling misconfiguration is that the machine (system) PATH environment variable must contain a directory writable by non-administrative users AND ordered ahead of the legitimate Visual Studio Code installation, allowing a planted |
| Impact | This is a local privilege-escalation-to-code-execution flaw rated CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), self-reported by the vendor Rapid7 (cve@rapid7.com). The CVSS vector is internally consistent with the CWE-427 uncontrolled search path description: AV:L reflects that a local, already-authenticated low-privileged user (PR:L) is required, while C:H/I:H/A:H reflects full SYSTEM-level compromise once triggered. No EPSS score, KEV listing, or POC was provided; exploitation status is therefore no public exploit identified at time of analysis. Two factors sharply lower real-world urgency: (1) exploitation is not remote and requires pre-existing local access, and (2) the vulnerable component is vendor-managed assessment content that Rapid7 already remediated automatically (content 0.0.269.0, GA 2026-09-15) with no customer action - so most fleets are patched independently of Insight Agent version. The one caveat to flag: successful exploitation also depends on a specific environmental precondition (a non-admin-writable directory ordered ahead of the legitimate VS Code install in the machine PATH), which the AC:L rating arguably understates; on well-hardened hosts this condition may not exist. No signals conflict, but the practical priority is moderate-to-low given local-only access and automatic remediation. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A low-privileged local user on a Windows host running the Rapid7 Insight Agent identifies a directory in the machine PATH that is writable by non-administrators and ordered ahead of the real Visual Studio Code install. They plant a malicious executable named |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 24, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Rapid7 Insight Agent on Windows allows an authenticated low-privileged local user to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM when the agent runs InsightVM assessment content at or below version 0.0.261.0. The flaw stems from an unqualified code command invoked from a SYSTEM process, so a user-writable directory placed earlier in the machine PATH can supply a malicious executable. Rapid7 self-reported the issue and automatically remediated it through assessment content 0.0.269.0 on September 15, 2026; no public exploit was identified at time of analysis.
RemediationAI
Vendor-released patch: assessment content version 0.0.269.0, made generally available on September 15, 2026. Rapid7 deployed this content automatically and states that no customer action is required. Verify that agents are receiving content updates and are not offline, pinned, or otherwise stuck at assessment content 0.0.261.0 or earlier. If automatic remediation cannot be confirmed, compensating controls include removing or tightening permissions on any non-administrative user-writable directory in the machine PATH that is ordered before the legitimate Visual Studio Code installation, and ensuring SYSTEM-context checks invoke fully qualified binaries rather than relying on PATH; these changes can break command resolution for other tooling and should be tested before broad deployment. Vendor advisory: https://docs.rapid7.com/insight/release-notes-2026-september/#resolved-cve-2026-89325.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) is the root cause: a process running as SYSTEM searches the machine PATH for the code command instead of using a fully qualified path, allowing an attacker-controlled executable to win path resolution if a non-administrative user-writable directory is ordered ahead of the legitimate Visual Studio Code installation. The vulnerable component is Rapid7's InsightVM assessment content, not the Insight Agent binary itself; assessment content versions at or below 0.0.261.0 contained the unsafe check, and all Insight Agent versions were affected while executing that content. Because content is delivered through the Rapid7 Insight Platform and is not customer-managed, exposure depended on receiving and running the vulnerable content until Rapid7 automatically distributed version 0.0.269.0. The CVSS vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H reflects local access, low privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
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- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local low-privileged user (AV:L/PR:L) hijacks SYSTEM code execution yielding full host compromise (C:H/I:H/A:H); AC:L kept per vendor though a precedent writable PATH dir is a real precondition.
Primary rating from Vendor (rapid7).
CVSS VectorVendor: rapid7
DescriptionCVE.org
An uncontrolled search path element in InsightVM assessment content in Rapid7 Insight Agent on Windows allows a local, low-privileged user to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM via a planted executable resolved from the machine PATH.
Assessment content at or below version 0.0.261.0 included a check that invoked the code command without a fully qualified path from a process running as SYSTEM. The command was resolved against the machine PATH environment variable at execution time. Where the machine PATH contained a directory writable by non-administrative users and ordered ahead of the legitimate Visual Studio Code installation, a local user could place an executable named code in that directory and cause the agent to execute it with SYSTEM privileges.
The version range above refers to InsightVM assessment content versions, not Insight Agent versions. All Insight Agent versions were affected while running assessment content at or below 0.0.261.0. Assessment content is delivered to all Insight Agents via the Rapid7 Insight Platform independently of the Insight Agent version and is not customer-managed.
This issue was resolved in assessment content version 0.0.269.0, which was made generally available on September 15, 2026. Remediation was deployed automatically and no customer action is required.
Executive ViewAI
Rapid7 Insight Agent on Windows endpoints contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability that could allow a user with local access to execute code as SYSTEM. Successful exploitation would enable an attacker to fully compromise affected endpoints, potentially leading to data theft, lateral movement, and disruption of security monitoring. Leadership should prioritize remediation because these agents are widely deployed across managed Windows environments and the flaw undermines endpoint security boundaries.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
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EUVD-2026-86404
GHSA-6xgf-5p76-74xj
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB