TI-2026-15181 Aliases CVE-2026-18485 GHSA-mw2w-74q7-6fc4

Local Privilege Escalation in NI-PAL

LOW 38CWE-1285Published 2026-08-05 · Updated 2026-08-06

Key facts

Attack vector: Local
Privileges required: Low
User interaction: None
Attack complexity: Low
Attack requirements: None
Impact type: —
Confidentiality · integrity · availability: High · High · High
Fix status: No fix listed

Attack profile from CVSS 4.0 · CNA. Fix status from CNA.

Summary

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.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV

EPSS 0.00167 6th percentileScored 2026-11-07

Fix No fix listed No fixed version in the sources yet

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation: None
Automatable: No
Technical impact: Total

The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.

Affected products

Vendor	Product	Affected versions	Fixed in	Status	Source
NI	NI-PAL	up to 26.3.1	—	No fix listed	CNA

NI-PAL VendorNI Affected up to 26.3.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA

Remediation

No fixed version listed by the sources yet.

Timeline

2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-18485
2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-mw2w-74q7-6fc4

References

Other 1

https://www.ni.com/en/support/security/available-critical-and-security-updates-for-ni-software/2026/local-privilege-escalation-in-ni-pal.html

TI-2025-02142 Path traversal in NI FlexLogger CVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2024-05673 Incorrect Default Directory Permissions for NI SystemLink Redis Service CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 5.5
TI-2024-03773 Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability in FlexLogger and InstrumentStudio CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.8
TI-2024-06309 Missing Authorization Checks In NI VeriStand Gateway For Project Resources CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
TI-2024-06297 Deserialization of Untrusted Data in NI VeriStand Waveform Streaming Server CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
TI-2024-06296 Deserialization of Untrusted Data in NI VeriStand DataLogging Server CVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8

See all 115 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences