Local privilege escalation via unsecured OpenSSL configuration
Published Sep 2, 2025 · Updated Sep 2, 2025
Uncontrolled search path handling in NoMachine 8.16.1 allows local users to execute arbitrary code as the service account. On Windows, NoMachine binaries load an OpenSSL configuration file through hardcoded build-tree paths that unprivileged users can populate with malicious files. Exploitation requires existing low-privileged code execution and elevates that code only to the NoMachine service account.
Summary
What happened
Uncontrolled search path handling in NoMachine 8.16.1 allows local users to execute arbitrary code as the service account. On Windows, NoMachine binaries load an OpenSSL configuration file through hardcoded build-tree paths that unprivileged users can populate with malicious files. Exploitation requires existing low-privileged code execution and elevates that code only to the NoMachine service account.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-8614
- Published
- Sep 2, 2025
- Updated
- Sep 2, 2025
- Vendor
- NoMachine
- Product
- NoMachine
- Classifications
- CWE-427, T1574
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 2, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Sep 2, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=Nomachine agent 8.16.1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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