Local privilege escalation via unvalidated executable invocation
Published Jul 24, 2026 · Updated Jul 24, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Rapid7 InsightVM, Nexpose, and Insight Agent allows local users to execute code with elevated privileges. During authenticated assessment, the Scan Engine and Insight Agent invoke executables found in user-writable directories without first validating file ownership. A low-privileged local user must plant an executable that assessment discovers; execution occurs as the scan credential for engines or as root on Linux and macOS and SYSTEM on Windows for agents.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Rapid7 InsightVM, Nexpose, and Insight Agent allows local users to execute code with elevated privileges. During authenticated assessment, the Scan Engine and Insight Agent invoke executables found in user-writable directories without first validating file ownership. A low-privileged local user must plant an executable that assessment discovers; execution occurs as the scan credential for engines or as root on Linux and macOS and SYSTEM on Windows for agents.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-14172
- Published
- Jul 24, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 24, 2026
- Vendor
- Rapid7
- Product
- InsightVM
- Classifications
- CWE-250, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 24, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 24, 2026Record 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=0 <1.1.3935
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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