CVE-2026-18485 Local Privilege Escalation in NI-PAL
A local authenticated user can escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code via a vulnerability in the NI-PAL kernel driver on Windows.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-18485?
CVE-2026-18485 is a high-severity vulnerability in NI-PAL, published on 5 Aug 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
There is a local privilege escalation vulnerability recently discovered in the NI-PAL kernel driver. This may allow a local, authenticated user to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability affects NI-PAL 26.3.1 and prior versions running on Microsoft Windows.
Weakness: CWE-1285
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-18485?
How do I fix CVE-2026-18485?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-18485 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2026-18485 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-18485 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-mw2w-74q7-6fc4.