NoMachine: Local privilege escalation via insufficient entropy in Redis authentication
Summary
NoMachine contains a flaw in the authentication mechanism that controls access to its Redis database. Credentials are generated with insufficient entropy, which makes them predictable. A local attacker who can already run low-privileged code on the host can use this to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the service account.
Affected
- NoMachine 9.7.3 (listed in the CNA record)
- Full affected version range: Unknown.
- Affected versions below the fixed releases are not verified.
Fixed in
- NoMachine 10.1.7
- NoMachine 9.9.6
- NoMachine 8.27.1
- Source: ZDI advisory and vendor software-updates page (vendor page not directly verified).
Workaround
- No official vendor workaround known.
- Hardening idea (not a vendor fix): use high-entropy, randomly generated Redis passwords.
Exploitation
- Exploited in the wild: No evidence found.
- CISA SSVC: Exploitation none, automatable no, technical impact total.
- A public GitHub repository carrying this CVE number exists; its contents were not reviewed and it is unknown whether it is a working exploit.
Our recommendation
- Update NoMachine to the fixed release matching your branch (10.1.7, 9.9.6 or 8.27.1) in the next regular maintenance window.
- Prioritise hosts with shared or administrative access and hosts used as jump hosts.
- Confirm that the Redis component does not listen on the network.
- Do not run public proof-of-concept code on production systems; test in an isolated lab only.
- Monitor for unusual local processes running as the NoMachine service account.
Public exploits
Links to third-party sites, not checked by us – exploit code can contain malware. Only use it in isolated test environments.
- Proof of concept on GitHub (1 repositories)
do4choo/CVE-2026-92209_NoMachine_LPE
Research sources
- ZDI-26-711 advisory www.zerodayinitiative.com
- OpenCVE record (CNA data, SSVC) app.opencve.io
- Threatint record (CWE, product status) cve.threatint.com
- Public repository (not reviewed in depth) github.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 1 Nov 2026, 22:44.
Original description (NVD)
NoMachine Redis Improper Authentication Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of NoMachine. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the authentication mechanism controlling access to the Redis database. The issue results from using insufficient entropy in the generation of credentials. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the service account. Was ZDI-CAN-30984.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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