GBHackers ranks NinjaOne, ManageEngine, and Automox atop twelve patch management tools for 2026, emphasizing third-party application coverage.
GBHackers scored twelve patch management platforms on coverage, automation, visibility, deployment, and value, with NinjaOne ranked highest at 4.55. Action1 is highlighted for its genuinely usable free tier, ManageEngine for third-party catalog breadth, and Automox for cloud-native cross-OS automation. The piece notes that unpatched known vulnerabilities remain a top initial-access vector, citing CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
CISA added four actively exploited flaws to its KEV catalog: Magento StyleSmuggler RCE, two Windows privilege-escalation bugs, and N-able N-central RCE.
CISA added CVE-2026-75650 (Adobe Commerce/Magento, CVSS 10.0), CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880 (Microsoft Windows local privilege escalation, CVSS 7.8 each), and CVE-2026-86218 (N-able N-central pre-auth RCE, CVSS 10.0) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Sansec researchers report the StyleSmuggler Magento flaw, actively exploited since September 4, lets unauthenticated attackers run code on vulnerable online stores and deploy web shells and backdoors; Microsoft confirmed active exploitation of both Windows flaws, and N-able shipped an emergency hotfix. Federal civilian agencies must patch the Windows flaws by September 22, 2026, and the remaining entries by September 11, 2026 under BOD 22-01.
CISA added CVE-2026-86218, a CVSS 10.0 unauthenticated RCE in N-able N-central RMM, to its KEV catalog; on-premises admins must patch to 2026.3.1.14.
CISA added CVE-2026-86218, a CVSS 10.0 static code injection (CWE-96) enabling unauthenticated RCE in N-able N-central, to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on September 8, 2026. The flaw affects all on-premises builds before 2026.3.1.14 across the 2025.4 through 2026.3 release lines; N-able shipped Hotfix 4 for 2026.3 on September 5-6, 2026. Huntress research indicates at least one customer's N-central instance was compromised on September 4, and federal civilian agencies must mitigate by September 11 under BOD 26-04. Hosted environments were patched server-side, but a compromised RMM server can serve as a single point of entry into entire MSP client bases.
CISA added CVE-2026-86218 (CVSS 10.0), a pre-auth RCE in N-able N-central, to KEV after N-able confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; patch by September 11.
CISA added CVE-2026-86218, a maximum-severity static code injection flaw enabling pre-authentication remote code execution in N-able N-central, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a September 11, 2026 deadline for federal agencies. The flaw is fixed in N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 4 (released September 5), and N-able told customers it has been observed being exploited in the wild. Separately, Huntress is investigating the compromise of a fully patched customer N-central environment on September 4 and cannot yet confirm which flaw was used, while Rapid7-disclosed CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207 can be chained by an unauthenticated attacker to create a rogue System Administrator account.
N-able says CVE-2026-86218 in N-central is exploited in the wild; MSPs must apply hotfix 2026.3.1.14 (2026.3 HF4).
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security advisory AV26-885 covers CVE-2026-86218 in N-able N-central, which the vendor confirms is being exploited in the wild. Versions prior to 2026.3.1.14 are affected, and the fix ships as N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 4. The Cyber Centre urges users and administrators to apply the update promptly.
CISA added four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, covering Adobe Commerce/Magento, Microsoft Windows, and N-able N-central.
CISA added CVE-2026-75650 (Adobe Commerce and Magento, improper neutralization in a template engine), CVE-2026-81963 (Microsoft Windows link following), CVE-2026-85880 (Microsoft Windows heap-based buffer overflow), and CVE-2026-86218 (N-able N-central static code injection) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog based on evidence of active exploitation. Under Binding Operational Directive 26-04, federal civilian agencies must prioritize rapid remediation of KEV-listed vulnerabilities on exposed assets that grant total control post-exploitation and check for pre-patch compromise. All organizations are encouraged to prioritize these flaws in risk-based patching.
Rapid7 disclosed two chained N-able N-central flaws, CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207, enabling unauthenticated admin account creation; patched in 2026.3 Hotfix 3.
Rapid7 researchers found CVE-2026-86206 (semicolon/Forwarded access-control bypass, CWE-791, CVSSv4 6.9) and CVE-2026-86207 (UserTwoFactorLogin authentication bypass, CWE-305, CVSSv4 7.7) in the latest N-able N-central. Chained, they let a remote unauthenticated attacker create an attacker-controlled System administrator account. The bugs stem from Envoy and Jetty disagreeing on the requested path and whether the client is local. N-able patched both in N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 3, following the earlier CVE-2026-18577 authentication bypass.
N-able patches critical unauthenticated RCE zero-day CVE-2026-86218 in N-central, exploited in the wild; on-premises admins must apply hotfix 2026.3 HF4.
N-able released an urgent hotfix (2026.3 HF4) for CVE-2026-86218 (CVSS 10), an unauthenticated RCE in N-central exploited as a zero-day. Scanning/exploitation attempts observed from IP range 23.234.64.0/18 starting September 4; admins should check logs for scanning and unrecognized new accounts. The hotfix supersedes patches for CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207, which Huntress observed potentially chained in the wild to bypass authentication in production environments.
Google patched an actively exploited Chrome V8 type confusion zero-day, CVE-2026-85046 (CVSS 8.8), the sixth exploited Chrome zero-day of 2026. CERT Polska warned of the MikroTrick exploit chain (CVE-2026-67276 and CVE-2026-86060, CVSS 9.2) giving unauthenticated full control of MikroTik RouterOS devices via SSH, observed since September 2. Sansec disclosed the StyleSmuggler Magento/Adobe Commerce zero-day used since September 4 to inject a Rust backdoor into online stores, while N-able patched three critical N-central flaws (CVE-2026-86206, CVE-2026-86207, and CVE-2026-86218, CVSS 10.0) with Huntress observing likely exploitation. Elastic and Morphisec also detailed RevStealer, an information stealer spread via game cheats and a fake Claude Desktop app.
N-able shipped Hotfix 4 patching CVE-2026-86218, a CVSS 10.0 pre-authentication RCE in N-central, with no confirmed production exploitation yet.
CVE-2026-86218 is a critical pre-authentication remote code execution flaw in N-able's N-central remote monitoring and management platform, disclosed September 6 with a maximum CVSS score of 10. It affects N-central versions before 2026.3.1.14 and is patched in N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 4. N-able says it has found no evidence of exploitation in production environments. It is the fifth N-able vulnerability disclosed in weeks, following two KEV-listed authentication bypasses and two internal API bypasses.
CVE-2026-86218, a CVSS 10.0 pre-auth RCE in N-able N-central, is being exploited in the wild; Hotfix 4 mitigates it immediately.
N-able disclosed CVE-2026-86218 on September 6, a pre-authentication remote code execution flaw with CVSS 10.0 in its N-central RMM platform, and both N-able and Huntress report it is being exploited in the wild. It follows Huntress's disclosure of an exploit chain combining CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207 that bypasses access controls to create unauthorized administrative accounts, investigated after a September 4 compromise of a fully patched customer environment. N-able has applied mitigations to all hosted N-central instances; on-premises customers must upgrade to Hotfix 4 (build 2026.3.1.14) immediately.
N-able shipped Hotfix 4 for a CVSS 10.0 unauthenticated RCE (CVE-2026-86218) in N-central RMM, with conflicting statements on exploitation.
N-able released 2026.3 Hotfix 4 (build 2026.3.1.14) fixing CVE-2026-86218, a static code injection weakness (CWE-96) scored 10.0 on CVSS 4.0 that enables pre-authentication remote code execution on on-premises N-central RMM servers. Hosted NCOD instances are already patched; N-able's incident notice says the flaw was observed exploited in the wild while its release notes say exploitation is unconfirmed. Huntress, which has tracked N-central attacks since August, advises IP allowlisting, VPN-only access, or taking internet-reachable servers offline until patching. It is the fourth hotfix in five weeks, following fixes for CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207, which CISA added to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
N-able released N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 4 (build 2026.3.1.14) fixing CVE-2026-86218, a critical pre-authentication RCE.
N-able shipped N-central 2026.3 Hotfix 4 (build 2026.3.1.14) to patch CVE-2026-86218, a critical remote code execution vulnerability exploitable without authentication. The hotfix follows a series of authentication flaws discovered in the N-central platform. Organizations running N-central should apply the update promptly; the notice does not report active exploitation.
N-able ships an emergency hotfix for a maximum-severity RCE flaw in its N-central RMM platform that attackers are actively exploiting.
N-able has released an emergency hotfix for a maximum-severity remote code execution vulnerability affecting its N-central remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform. The company urges customers to apply the fix immediately because attacks against N-central instances are ongoing. N-central is widely used by managed service providers, so a compromise of one deployment can expose many downstream customer environments.
N-able shipped an emergency hotfix for CVE-2026-86218, a pre-auth RCE zero-day in N-central RMM observed exploited in the wild.
N-able released Hotfix 4 for N-central 2026.3 on September 5 (build 2026.3.1.14), fixing CVE-2026-86218, a critical pre-authenticated remote code execution flaw in its RMM platform popular with MSPs. A private customer notice marked urgent said the zero-day 'has been observed being exploited in the wild,' while the public advisory said there were no confirmed production exploits. Huntress also flagged two high-severity vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-86206 and CVE-2026-86207, which allow authentication bypass and unrestricted access; they were patched the same weekend and were discovered by Rapid7's Stephen Fewer. N-able advised auditing N-central user accounts for unexpected users.
N-able N-central pre-auth RCE zero-day CVE-2026-86218 (CVSS 10.0) is exploited in the wild; on-prem admins must upgrade to 2026.3 HF4.
N-able disclosed a third N-central vulnerability, CVE-2026-86218, a pre-authentication RCE rated CVSS 10.0, and released hotfix 2026.3 HF4 superseding build 2026.3.1.13. Huntress reproduced an exploit chain involving an authentication bypass (CVE-2026-86206/CVE-2026-86207) after a fully patched customer's N-central production server was compromised on September 4. Attackers appended strings like .invalid to account names and probed the /remoteControlAction.do?method=getPierDetails endpoint; Huntress worked with Cloudflare to disable adversary tunnel infrastructure. Hosted N-central instances are already patched; on-prem administrators must upgrade immediately.
Weekly digest: exploited Metabase zero-day breached Framework; Salesforce/ServiceNow portals read for 17 months; Microsoft patched 400+ flaws.
Help Net Security's week in review aggregates top stories: a 'City-Forum' campaign tracked by Reco has been pulling records from Salesforce and ServiceNow portals worldwide for 17 months, and Framework suffered a breach via an exploited Metabase zero-day exposing customer contact and IP data. It also covers Microsoft's August 2026 Patch Tuesday fixing 400+ flaws including exploited zero-day CVE-2026-68820, Cisco's fix for exploited firewall DoS bug CVE-2026-20349 (added to CISA KEV), and a second N-able N-central hotfix for actively exploited CVE-2026-18577. Other items include GitHub expanding Dependabot malware alerts to eight package ecosystems and EU AI Act enforcement beginning on 2 August 2026.
Microsoft reports China-linked ransomware group Storm-1175 switched from Medusa to a new C++ strain, StormEncryptor, likely exploiting N-able flaw CVE-2026-18577.
Microsoft Threat Intelligence reports that the financially motivated, China-linked group Storm-1175 began deploying a new ransomware strain called StormEncryptor on August 2, 2026, replacing its previous Medusa ransomware. StormEncryptor is written in C++, appends the .encrypted extension to files, and drops a !!!README_FIRST!!!.txt ransom note in each scanned directory. Microsoft assesses the group is likely exploiting CVE-2026-18577, an authentication bypass in N-able disclosed on August 2, 2026 and added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog the next day. Since 2023, Storm-1175 has exploited more than 16 vulnerabilities in products including Microsoft Exchange, Ivanti, ConnectWise ScreenConnect, JetBrains TeamCity, SimpleHelp, CrushFTP, and GoAnywhere MFT, often moving from initial access to data theft and ransomware deployment within days.
N-able shipped a second N-central hotfix as attackers actively exploit authentication bypass CVE-2026-18577, attributed to ransomware group Storm-1175.
N-able released Hotfix 2 (N-central 2026.3.1.10) to counter ongoing exploitation of CVE-2026-18577, an authentication bypass that evades the patch for the earlier CVE-2026-18556; exploitation was first detected on August 1, 2026. Post-exploitation includes using the Take Control feature to reach managed endpoints, registering a Cloudflare tunnel service for persistence, creating a 'veeam' domain account, resetting admin passwords, and disabling Microsoft and Sophos security tooling. Microsoft analysts link the activity to Storm-1175, which now deploys a new StormEncryptor ransomware strain instead of Medusa, often reaching data exfiltration and ransomware within days. Sophos and Huntress expanded the IOCs and warned that partners who patched late should treat environments as potentially compromised.
Pre-Auth Static Code Injection RCE in N-able N-central (Exploited in the Wild)
CVE-2026-86218 is a static code injection flaw (CWE-96) in N-able's N-central on-premises remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform, carrying a maximum CVSS 4.0 score of 10.0. An unauthenticated, remote attacker triggers it by sending crafted network input to the N-central server that is improperly neutralized and persisted into application-managed code, which the server then executes — no privileges (PR:N) or user interaction (UI:N) are required. Successful exploitation yields full server compromise with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and because N-central acts as the management hub for downstream customer endpoints, compromise can expose the entire managed estate. Any organization running an affected N-central release (before 2026.3.1.14) — primarily MSPs and corporate IT departments using N-able RMM — is affected. The flaw is confirmed exploited in the wild: N-able patched it as a zero-day, CISA added it to the KEV catalog on 2026-09-08, and it is the fourth N-central hotfix in five weeks, though no public PoC is known and ransomware use is unknown.
· N-able N-central before 2026.3.1.14 KEV PoC large
Authentication bypass in N-able N-central internal APIs before 2026.3 HF 3
CVE-2026-86207 is an authentication bypass (CWE-305) in N-able's N-central remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform that allows unauthorized access to APIs that are supposed to be internal-only. It is triggered over the network by sending requests to these internal API endpoints under specific conditions (the CVSS vector indicates some attack prerequisites and a low-privilege foothold are required). An attacker who exploits it gains highly privileged access to the N-central server's data and functions, with high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability of the server itself. Organizations running any N-central release before version 2026.3 Hotfix 3 are affected — primarily managed service providers hosting N-central for their own operations. There is no public proof of concept, the flaw is not in CISA's KEV catalog, and EPSS puts 30-day exploitation risk at just 0.7%; note that the recent news headlines about actively exploited 'unauthenticated RCE' flaws in N-central describe separate vulnerabilities in the same product, which is why multiple hotfixes have shipped in quick succession.
· N-able N-central all versions before 2026.3 HF 3 (Hotfix 3)moderate
Access Control Filter Bypass in N-able N-central Exposes Internal APIs
N-able N-central contains a flaw in the access-control filter that protects its internal API (CWE-791, incomplete filtering), allowing requests to bypass the filter and reach internal APIs without authorization. The issue is exploitable over the network with no privileges and no user interaction, per the CVSS 4.0 vector (AV:N/PR:N/UI:N). An attacker gains unauthorized, low-impact access to internal APIs (VC:L); the vector indicates no integrity or availability impact and no evidence of code execution from this flaw. Any organization running an affected N-central release — a remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform operated by managed service providers — is affected, and the fix is available in N-central 2026.3 HF3 and 2026.4. The flaw is not on the CISA KEV list and has no known public PoC or confirmed in-the-wild exploitation, though it was disclosed in the same patching cycle as actively exploited N-central unauthenticated RCE flaws.
· N-able N-central Releases prior to 2026.3 HF3; fixed in 2026.3 HF3 and 2026.4large
Authentication Bypass and Account Takeover in N-able N-central (Incomplete Patch)
CVE-2026-18577 is an authentication bypass (CWE-288) in N-able's N-central RMM platform caused by an incomplete patch for the earlier vulnerability CVE-2026-18556. Because the original fix can be bypassed via an alternate path or channel, a remote, unauthenticated attacker needs no privileges or user interaction, though the attack requires meeting exploit-specific conditions (high attack complexity, CVSS 4.0: 8.2 High). Successful exploitation lets the attacker bypass authentication and take over N-central accounts, gaining high-impact access to the management console with limited direct effects on downstream services. All N-central versions through 2026.3.1 are affected. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw was added to CISA's KEV on 2026-08-03, EPSS estimates a 54.1% chance of exploitation within 30 days (99th percentile), and news reports say attackers kept exploiting it even as N-able shipped successive hotfixes; ransomware use is currently unknown.
· N-able N-central all versions through 2026.3.1 (incomplete patch for CVE-2026-18556) KEVmoderate
Authentication Bypass (Alternate Path/Channel) in N-able N-central
N-able's N-central RMM platform contains an authentication bypass (CWE-288) in which an alternate path or channel allows requests to skip the normal authentication check. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger it by sending requests through that alternate path without valid credentials, gaining unauthorized access to the N-central management interface; because N-central is remote monitoring and management software run by managed service providers, such access can expose management functions across downstream customer environments. N-able N-central deployments are affected; the available data does not specify affected version ranges or fixed builds. The flaw was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-08-04, confirming exploitation in the wild, with a high EPSS of 40.2% (99th percentile), no CVSS score yet, no public PoC, and undetermined ransomware use; related reporting describes a recent string of N-central hotfixes, including fixes for unauthenticated remote code execution.
Unauthenticated Template Injection RCE in Adobe Commerce and Magento (CVE-2026-75650)
Adobe Commerce and Magento (including Adobe Commerce B2B) contain an improper neutralization of special elements used in a template engine (CWE-1336), a template-injection flaw that permits arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. The flaw is reachable over the network by unauthenticated attackers, requires no user interaction, and its changed scope (CVSS 3.1 S:C) means injected code executes beyond the vulnerable component, producing a maximum-severity (CVSS 10.0) remote code execution condition. A successful attacker gains arbitrary code execution on the storefront server; in the observed campaign, intruders installed a Rust backdoor and a PHP web shell (dubbed 'StyleSmuggler') on compromised servers. Any organization running an Adobe Commerce, Adobe Commerce B2B, or Magento storefront is in scope, with internet-facing e-commerce deployments most exposed. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the bug was abused as a zero-day before patching and was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-09-08.
· Adobe Commerce · Adobe Commerce B2B KEV PoC mass
Heap-Based Buffer Overflow in Windows ALPC Enables Local Privilege Escalation
CVE-2026-85880 is a heap-based buffer overflow in Windows Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC), the Windows mechanism for local inter-process communication. An authorized local attacker can trigger the overflow by submitting crafted input over ALPC, corrupting heap memory in the component that handles the request. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute code with elevated privileges, typically gaining SYSTEM-level control of the local host, which is especially valuable as a post-exploitation or sandbox-escape step. Affected products include Windows 10 (1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2) and Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022, meaning most on-premises Windows estates are in scope. The flaw was fixed in Microsoft's record 974-CVE September 2026 Patch Tuesday and was added to CISA's KEV on 2026-09-08, confirming exploitation in the wild; press reports describe Windows zero-days being chained with a Chrome zero-day in 'BlueMoon' kit attacks, though the data does not explicitly confirm this CVE is the Windows flaw in that chain.
· Microsoft Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2 · Microsoft Windows Server 2012, 2016, 2019, 2022 KEVmass
Local Privilege Escalation via Link Following in Windows Update Stack
CVE-2026-81963 is a link-following flaw (CWE-59, improper link resolution before file access) in the Microsoft Windows Update Stack, in which the component fails to correctly resolve file links before opening them. A local attacker with low privileges can plant or manipulate a link (symlink/junction) that the privileged update stack follows during operation, redirecting its file access to an attacker-controlled target. The result is local privilege escalation — CVSS 3.1 rates this 7.8 (high) with high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact — allowing an authorized local user or malware already on the machine to gain elevated rights. Affected products are Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 and Windows Server 2025; any unpatched system on those versions is exposed to any local account holder. The flaw was fixed in Microsoft's record September 2026 Patch Tuesday (974 CVEs), was added to CISA's KEV on 2026-09-08 as one of two Windows zero-days reported as exploited in the wild, and has no known public PoC or confirmed ransomware use.
· Microsoft Windows 11 23H2, 24H2, 25H2, 26H1 · Microsoft Windows Server 2025 KEVmass
Path Traversal in JetBrains TeamCity Allows Limited Admin Actions
JetBrains TeamCity, a widely used continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) server, contains a relative path traversal vulnerability (CWE-23) in which the application fails to properly neutralize traversal sequences in file paths. An attacker who can reach the vulnerable component can supply crafted relative paths that escape the intended directory, gaining the ability to perform limited administrative actions on the TeamCity server. Any organization running an affected JetBrains TeamCity deployment, especially instances exposed to the internet or reachable by untrusted users, is potentially affected. The vulnerability was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-20 with known ransomware use, and the EPSS model assigns it a 100% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days. No public proof-of-concept is known, but the KEV listing confirms active exploitation in the wild per CISA.
· JetBrains TeamCity Affected as listed by CISA; the source data provides no specific affected version ranges, so verify exact affected and patched versions in JetBrains' security b KEV ransomware PoC large
Use-After-Free Local Privilege Escalation in Microsoft Windows WinSock AFD Driver
CVE-2026-68820 is a use-after-free (CWE-416) in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (afd.sys), the kernel component that handles Winsock socket operations. A local, authenticated attacker can trigger the memory corruption through crafted socket activity, and the high attack-complexity score (AV:L/AC:H/PR:L) indicates exploitation requires a specific, likely race-sensitive sequence of operations. Successful exploitation elevates privileges to SYSTEM, giving the attacker full control of the host, and public reporting describes deployment of a backdoor after privilege escalation. Virtually every Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server (2012-2022) installation ships this driver, so the affected population is essentially the entire supported Windows installed base. The flaw is being exploited in the wild: CISA added it to the KEV on 2026-08-11, Microsoft fixed it in the August 2026 Patch Tuesday release, and reporting ties active exploitation to North Korea's Lazarus group, who paired the zero-day with fake job-offer lures.
· Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (afd.sys) as shipped with the Windows versions listed below · Microsoft Windows 10 1607, 1809, 21H2, 22H2 KEVmass
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