dbcve.org
CWE-653Weakness · CWE-653

CVE-2026-0542

CRITICAL · 9.2 CVSS v4.0 Published 2026-02-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
ServiceNow has addressed a remote code execution vulnerability that was identified in the ServiceNow AI platform. This vulnerability could enable an unauthenticated user, in certain circumstances, to execute code within the ServiceNow Sandbox.    ServiceNow addressed this vulnerability by deploying a security update to hosted instances. Relevant security updates also have been provided to ServiceNow self-hosted customers and partners. Further, the vulnerability is addressed in the listed patches and hot fixes. While we are not currently aware of exploitation against customer instances, we recommend customers promptly apply appropriate updates or upgrade if they have not already done so.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

ServiceNow AI platform contains a critical remote code execution vulnerability (CVSS 9.2) allowing unauthenticated users to execute arbitrary code within the ServiceNow Sandbox in certain circumstances. ServiceNow has deployed security updates to hosted instances and provided patches/hot fixes to self-hosted customers.

MitigationApply the provided security patches and hot fixes promptly to all affected ServiceNow instances, including both hosted and self-hosted deployments.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify ServiceNow instance type and version
    Determine if your instance is ServiceNow-hosted (Now Platform) or self-hosted (On-Premise/Private Instance). For self-hosted, check your installed version via System Diagnostics > Version or the /stats.do endpoint. For hosted instances, check your instance URL format (service-now.com indicates hosted).
    Affected if Running an unpatched self-hosted version of ServiceNow with AI platform capabilities
  2. Verify AI platform module status
    Navigate to AI Search > Configuration or check System Definition > Plugins for 'AI Search' or 'Virtual Agent' related plugins. Look for enabled AI-related plugins that may expose the sandbox functionality.
    Affected if AI platform plugins/modules are installed and enabled on the instance
  3. Check Sandbox configuration
    Locate sandbox-related settings in System Properties > Security or search for 'sandbox' in the System Configuration. Inspect whether the sandbox execution environment is configured and accessible to unauthenticated requests.
    Affected if Sandbox feature is enabled and accessible without authentication
  4. Confirm patch status for self-hosted instances
    Review your instance for recent hotfixes or patch installations. Check System Patch > Patch History or contact ServiceNow support to verify if Security Patch [CVE-2026-0542] or corresponding hotfix has been applied.
    Affected if Self-hosted instance has not received the security update/hotfix for this CVE
  5. Audit exposed AI/Sandbox endpoints
    Review exposed URLs and API endpoints related to AI processing. Check your web server logs or ServiceNow audit logs for unauthenticated requests to AI/Sandbox endpoints (patterns like /api/ai/* or /sandbox/*).
    Affected if Unauthenticated access to AI platform or sandbox execution endpoints is possible

Your environment is affected if you run an unpatched ServiceNow instance with AI platform and Sandbox features enabled, particularly on self-hosted deployments that have not applied the provided security hotfixes.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the provided security patches and hot fixes promptly to all affected ServiceNow instances, including both hosted and self-hosted deployments.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,680
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-0542 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data