Nssm224 Privilege Escalation Updated -

: Check if the "Users" group has high privileges on the service folder using icacls . 3. Mitigation & Hardening

Each of these cases follows the same pattern: a third‑party product bundles NSSM 2.24 but fails to set restrictive NTFS permissions on the directory containing nssm.exe , allowing any authenticated user to replace the binary and escalate privileges when the associated service restarts.

If the directory containing the target executable (or the NSSM.exe binary itself) has weak Access Control Lists (ACLs), a low-privileged user can modify or replace the binary.

To mitigate this vulnerability:

If a low-privileged user has Write or Full Control permissions over this registry key, they can manipulate the parameters.

This vulnerability was identified in versions 21.0.0 through 23.0.18. The flaw occurs because the installer allows all files in the installation directory to inherit the permissions of the parent folder. Consequently, a non-privileged user can replace the nssm.exe service binary. A subsequent service or server restart executes that binary with administrative rights.

The is a legitimate, open-source utility designed to run any executable as a Windows service. While developers use it to keep applications running in the background, administrators often misconfigure the services it creates. nssm224 privilege escalation updated

Review permissions on the service registry entries. Low-privileged accounts should only have read permissions ( KEY_READ ) to the service keys under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ . 3. Quote All Service Paths

, it can potentially allow an attacker to interact with a system-level desktop. Vulnerability Chaining: Advanced attackers, such as the Akira Ransomware group

Linux Privilege Escalation Guide (Updated for 2024) - Payatu : Check if the "Users" group has high

It is worth noting that privilege escalation via NSSM is not a new phenomenon. (Rediscovered in 2026) highlighted that Wowza Streaming Engine 4.5.0 suffered from a similar flaw where the Everyone group had full access to the nssm_x64.exe binary, allowing local users to replace the file and execute code as LocalSystem.

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While NSSM helps manage services, if the path to the service executable contains spaces and is not enclosed in quotes, Windows may attempt to execute files in the parent directories (e.g., C:\Program.exe instead of C:\Program Files\Service\svc.exe ). If the directory containing the target executable (or

: Always install NSSM and the applications it manages in C:\Program Files\ or other directories with strict Access Control Lists (ACLs).