Overview
CVE-2025-8876 is a critical security vulnerability in N-able N-central that exposes systems to potential compromise or data leakage. This vulnerability originates from improper input validation within the software that, if exploited, allows an attacker to execute arbitrary operating system commands. This can lead to unauthorized access, manipulation of data, or even complete system takeovers. The vulnerability affects versions of N-central before 2025.3.1, and its significance is highlighted by a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) severity score of 8.8, marking it as a high-risk issue that requires immediate attention.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-8876
Severity: High (8.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
N-able N-central | Before 2025.3.1
How the Exploit Works
The vulnerability revolves around improper input validation within N-able N-central. Due to this flaw, an attacker can inject malicious operating system commands into areas of the software where they are executed without proper sanitization. This leads to a situation known as OS command injection, where an attacker can execute arbitrary commands on the host operating system. The exploitation can be achieved remotely over the network, without the need for any user interaction, making it a highly exploitable and dangerous vulnerability.
Conceptual Example Code
While the specific exploitation details for CVE-2025-8876 are not publicly available, a conceptual example of an OS command injection vulnerability might resemble the following:
POST /vulnerable/endpoint HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{ "target_command": "ping; rm -rf /" }In this pseudocode example, the attacker sends a POST request to a vulnerable endpoint on the target system. The “target_command” field was intended to run a harmless command (`ping`), but due to inadequate input validation, the attacker is able to append a harmful command (`rm -rf /`) which could delete all files on the system.
Mitigation Guidance
The primary mitigation for this vulnerability is to apply the vendor-supplied patch, which addresses the vulnerability by correcting the input validation flaw. This patch is available for all N-able N-central versions from 2025.3.1 onwards. As a temporary mitigation, if patching is not immediately feasible, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can help detect and block attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, these measures do not fully eliminate the risk and should be complemented by applying the vendor patch as soon as possible.