CVE-2018-17980

HIGH

NoMachine < 5.3.27 and 6.x < 6.3.6 - Untrusted Search Path via Trojan Horse wintab32.dll

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 1 public exploit for CVE-2018-17980. PoCs published by hyp3rlinx.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This exploit demonstrates a DLL hijacking vulnerability in NoMachine <= v5.3.26, where a malicious 'wintab32.dll' can be executed when a '.nxs' file is opened. The PoC is a simple DLL that displays a message box upon loading.

Description

NoMachine before 5.3.27 and 6.x before 6.3.6 allows attackers to gain privileges via a Trojan horse wintab32.dll file located in the same directory as a .nxs file, as demonstrated by a scenario where the .nxs file and the DLL are in the current working directory, and the Trojan horse code is executed. (The directory could, in general, be on a local filesystem or a network share.).

Exploits (1)

exploitdb WORKING POC
by hyp3rlinx · cremotewindows
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45611

This exploit demonstrates a DLL hijacking vulnerability in NoMachine <= v5.3.26, where a malicious 'wintab32.dll' can be executed when a '.nxs' file is opened. The PoC is a simple DLL that displays a message box upon loading.

Classification
Working Poc 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: NoMachine <= v5.3.26
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Ability to place a malicious 'wintab32.dll' in a directory where the '.nxs' file is opened
MITRE ATT&CK
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (4)

Core 4
Core References
Vendor Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://www.nomachine.com/TR10P08887
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry exploit x_refsource_exploit-db
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45611/
Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry x_refsource_misc
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/149784/NoMachine-5.3.26-Remote-Code-Execution.html

Scores

CVSS v3 7.8
EPSS 0.0367
EPSS Percentile 88.2%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

CWE
CWE-426
Status published
Products (1)
nomachine/nomachine < 5.3.27
Published Oct 15, 2018
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026