CVE-2026-6482
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 · uneditedThe Rapid7 Insight Agent (versions > 4.1.0.2) is vulnerable to a local privilege escalation attack that allows users to gain SYSTEM level control of a Windows host. Upon startup the agent service attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file from a non-existent directory that is writable by standard users. By planting a crafted openssl.cnf file an attacker can trick the high-privilege service into executing arbitrary commands. This effectively permits an unprivileged user to bypass security controls and achieve a full host compromise under the agent’s SYSTEM level access.
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 confidenceThe Rapid7 Insight Agent (versions > 4.1.0.2) has a local privilege escalation vulnerability where the service attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file (openssl.cnf) from a non-existent directory writable by standard users. An attacker can plant a crafted openssl.cnf file in this writable location to achieve arbitrary command execution with SYSTEM privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 4.1.0.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm Rapid7 Insight Agent installationCheck for the Insight Agent service using 'sc query' or review installed programs in Add/Remove Programs. Common installation paths include C:\Program Files\Rapid7\Insight Agent or C:\Program Files (x86)\Rapid7\Insight Agent.Affected if The Insight Agent service is found and running on the system.
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Determine installed Insight Agent versionRun 'sc query' to find the service name, then check the version via the executable or registry key at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rapid7\Insight\Agent\Version, or inspect the file properties of the main agent executable in the installation directory.Affected if The installed version is lower than 4.1.0.2 (e.g., 4.1.0.1, 4.0.x, etc.).
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Identify OpenSSL config directory pathMonitor or trace the agent service startup using process monitoring tools (e.g., procmon) to observe which path the service attempts to access for openssl.cnf. Check the agent logs for any OpenSSL-related errors or config loading attempts.Affected if The service attempts to load openssl.cnf from a user-writable path that does not exist or is writable by standard users.
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Check for writable directories in agent pathsUse accesschk or icacls to examine directory permissions on paths where the agent may look for openssl.cnf (commonly the agent working directory, temp directory, or a subfolder under the installation path). Verify if standard users have WRITE permission.Affected if Any directory the agent uses for OpenSSL configuration loading is writable by standard users.
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Inspect for unauthorized openssl.cnf filesSearch for openssl.cnf files in the agent's directories, temp folders, and user-writable locations. Use 'dir /s /b C:\openssl.cnf' or review any openssl.cnf located in the agent's working directory.Affected if An openssl.cnf file exists in a location writable by standard users, particularly within agent-related directories.
A system is affected if Rapid7 Insight Agent version lower than 4.1.0.2 is installed and there exists a user-writable location from which the agent loads or attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
dbcve · scoped4.1.0.2
Restrict write access to the directory from which the agent loads the OpenSSL configuration, or upgrade to a patched version once available. Implement file integrity monitoring on agent directories to detect unauthorized modifications.
Insight Agent version 4.1.0.2 or later
- Identify all Windows systems with Insight Agent installed using your centralized management platform or asset inventory
- Check the current Insight Agent version on each system (typically via Add/Remove Programs, the agent tray icon, or command-line query)
- Download the Insight Agent version 4.1.0.2 or later from the Rapid7 management console or official download portal
- Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with your existing security stack and workflows
- Deploy the upgrade to production systems via your standard software deployment method (e.g., GPO, SCCM, Rapid7 console, or patch management system)
- Verify the upgrade was successful by confirming the agent version shows 4.1.0.2 or higher
- Confirm the agent is communicating properly with the Insight platform post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-6482 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-6482 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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