{"id":"CVE-2026-18556","published":"2026-08-01T20:16:37Z","modified":"2026-10-23T22:10:00Z","title":"N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel Vulnerability","vendor":"N-able","product":"N-central","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"Authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in N-able N-central allows Authentication Bypass.\n\nThis issue affects N-central: through 2026.1.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"An authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel exists in N-able N-central, affecting versions through 2026.1, where the product's authentication can be circumvented through a secondary route. An unauthenticated remote attacker over the network can exploit it without needing credentials or any user interaction, though the attack is considered high complexity, meaning specific conditions must be met to succeed.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:06:46Z"},"cvss":{"score":7.4,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.07882,"percentile":0.94702,"date":"2026-10-30","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2026-08-04","dueDate":"2026-08-07","ransomware":false,"requiredAction":"Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.","notes":"https://uptime.n-able.com/ ; https://status.n-able.com/2026/08/02/n-central-2026-3-hotfix-1-mitigation-for-cve-2026-18577/ ; BOD 26-04: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; Forensics Triage Requirements: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-26-04-implementation-guidance-prioritizing-security-updates-based-risk ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18556","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2026-08-01","exploitedFirstSeen":"2026-08-01","ransomware":false,"evidence":[{"url":"https://previdian.com/CVE-2026-18556","date":"2026-08-01"},{"url":"https://uptime.n-able.com/event/201454/","date":"2026-08-01"},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2026-08-04"},{"url":"https://uptime.n-able.com/event/201522/","date":"2026-08-06"},{"url":"https://cydome.io/maritime-cybersecurity-bulletin-august-7th-2026/","date":"2026-08-07"},{"url":"https://www.cyber.gov.au/about-us/view-all-content/alerts-and-advisories/active-exploitation-of-remote-monitoring-and-management-platform-within-australia","date":"2026-08-16"},{"url":"https://www.huntress.com/blog/n-able-vulnerability-exploitation","date":"2026-09-06"},{"url":"https://www.recordedfuture.com/blog/august-2026-cve-landscape","date":"2026-09-08"}],"evidenceTotal":8,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 31, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae4aefab0c2191cecd41862","created":"2026-10-30"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 30, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae35d889ea92b4ce19c2680","created":"2026-10-29"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-288","name":"Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel"}],"references":[{"url":"https://uptime.n-able.com/","tags":["Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-18556","tags":["US Government Resource"]},{"url":"https://www.n-able.com/blog/n-central-security-update-august-2-2026","tags":["Vendor Advisory"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1190","name":"Exploit Public-Facing Application","tactics":["initial-access"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: Public-facing management app exploited remotely without credentials","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"Authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel vulnerability in N-able N-central","start":0,"end":90}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"},{"id":"T1078","name":"Valid Accounts","tactics":["initial-access","persistence","privilege-escalation","stealth"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: Bypass yields access as valid or privileged accounts","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"allows Authentication Bypass","start":91,"end":119}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[{"id":"SRC-785c287ab8311e1ba46a","title":"From Token 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Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-28323 and CVE-2026-28299August 3, 2026CVE-2026-18556 / CVE-2026-18577: N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities Require Immediate PatchingVIEW ALLView All","start":5157,"end":5461}]},{"id":"SRC-876a8c22e3a8316f7dab","title":"Dropping Elephant APT Group Targets Turkish Defense Industry With New Campaign and Capabilities: LOLBAS, VLC Player, and Encrypted Shellcode","publisher":"arcticwolf.com","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/dropping-elephant-apt-group-targets-turkish-defense-industry/","date":"2025-07-23","mentions":[{"quote":"Zero-Day Privilege Escalation (CVE-2026-50656/RoguePlanet, ShieldBreak)August 6, 2026SolarWinds Web Help Desk Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-28323 and CVE-2026-28299August 3, 2026CVE-2026-18556 / CVE-2026-18577: N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities Require Immediate PatchingVIEW ALLView All","start":5251,"end":5555}]},{"id":"SRC-4cf3172d190519e868ee","title":"Blog | Arctic Wolf","publisher":"arcticwolf.com","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/","date":null,"mentions":[{"quote":"Zero-Day Privilege Escalation (CVE-2026-50656/RoguePlanet, ShieldBreak)August 6, 2026SolarWinds Web Help Desk Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-28323 and CVE-2026-28299August 3, 2026CVE-2026-18556 / CVE-2026-18577: N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities Require Immediate PatchingVIEW ALLView All","start":5115,"end":5419},{"quote":"CVE-2026-18556 / CVE-2026-18577: N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities Require Immediate Patching","start":8955,"end":9069}]},{"id":"SRC-1b0b8c4d77ff85ee9833","title":"Ending Cyber Risk with Aurora Endpoint Security","publisher":"arcticwolf.com","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/cylance/","date":null,"mentions":[{"quote":"Zero-Day Privilege Escalation (CVE-2026-50656/RoguePlanet, ShieldBreak)August 6, 2026SolarWinds Web Help Desk Vulnerabilities: CVE-2026-28323 and CVE-2026-28299August 3, 2026CVE-2026-18556 / CVE-2026-18577: N-able N-central Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilities Require Immediate PatchingVIEW ALLView All","start":5158,"end":5462}]}],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2026-51918","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-51918","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2026-08-04","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[],"exploitSources":{"pocGithub":{"count":1,"skipped":0,"earliest":"2026-08-06","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/CreamyG31337/ncentral-compromise-ioc-triage","repos":[{"name":"CreamyG31337/ncentral-compromise-ioc-triage","url":"https://github.com/CreamyG31337/ncentral-compromise-ioc-triage","stars":0,"created":"2026-08-06"}]},"first":{"date":"2026-08-06","source":"PoC-in-GitHub","url":"https://github.com/CreamyG31337/ncentral-compromise-ioc-triage"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":[],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1190"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1078"],"provenance":"ai"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2025-07-23","kind":"report","label":"Named in arcticwolf.com: Dropping Elephant APT Group Targets Turkish Defense Industry With New Campaign and Capabilitie…","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/dropping-elephant-apt-group-targets-turkish-defense-industry/","provenance":"machine"},{"date":"2026-04-24","kind":"report","label":"Named in arcticwolf.com: Token Bingo: Don't Let Your Code be the Winner","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/token-bingo-dont-let-your-code-be-the-winner/","provenance":"machine"},{"date":"2026-06-02","kind":"report","label":"Named in arcticwolf.com: From Token Bingo to MAX Takeover: Kali365 Operator Expands Operation Across Microsoft Outlook,…","url":"https://arcticwolf.com/resources/blog/kali365-expands-into-aws-microsoft-okta-xerox-max-messenger/","provenance":"machine"},{"date":"2026-08-01","kind":"published","label":"Published (NVD)","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-18556","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2026-08-01","kind":"exploited-reported","label":"Exploitation first reported (VulnCheck KEV evidence)","url":"https://previdian.com/CVE-2026-18556","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2026-08-04","kind":"kev","label":"Added to CISA KEV","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2026-08-04","kind":"euvd-exploited","label":"ENISA EUVD: exploited","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2026-51918","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2026-08-06","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First public exploit: PoC-in-GitHub","url":"https://github.com/CreamyG31337/ncentral-compromise-ioc-triage","provenance":"source"}],"speed":{"daysToPublicExploit":5,"firstExploitFrom":"PoC-in-GitHub","daysToKev":3},"priority":{"score":82.1,"factors":[{"name":"In a KEV catalog","points":35.0,"detail":"listed in CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV"},{"name":"Recent KEV listing","points":5.0,"detail":"added 91 days ago"},{"name":"Known ransomware use","points":0.0,"detail":"not known"},{"name":"EPSS percentile","points":18.94,"detail":"percentile 0.9470"},{"name":"Named in threat reports","points":10.0,"detail":"5 reports"},{"name":"Public exploit code","points":5.0,"detail":"1 PoC-in-GitHub repo"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":3.0,"detail":"50 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":5.18,"detail":"base score 7.4"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]},"lineage":{"familyId":"fam-n-able-n-central-cve-2026-18556","children":[{"from":"CVE-2026-18556","to":"CVE-2026-18577","relation":"incomplete-fix","confidence":"high","kind":"lineage","evidence":[{"kind":"text","provenance":"source","relation":"incomplete-fix","quote":"An incomplete patch for CVE-2026-18556 allows for authentication bypass and account takeover in N-central Versions through 2026.3.1","from":"NVD","in":"CVE-2026-18577"}]}]}}