CVE-2026-8035
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 · uneditedImproper input validation in the NI-PAL kernel driver may allow a local authenticated user to cause a denial of service by triggering a crash due to a NULL pointer dereference. This vulnerability affects NI-PAL 26.3.0 and prior versions on Windows and Linux.
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 confidenceImproper input validation in the NI-PAL kernel driver allows a local authenticated user to trigger a NULL pointer dereference, causing a kernel crash and denial of service. The vulnerability exists in NI-PAL versions 26.3.0 and prior on both Windows and Linux platforms.
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<= 26.3.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Identify if NI-PAL kernel driver is installedOn Linux, run 'lsmod | grep -i pal' or check /proc/modules for ni_pal or pal modules. On Windows, open Device Manager and look under 'System devices' or check driver files in C:\Windows\System32\drivers for ni_pal.sys or similar PAL driver files.Affected if NI-PAL driver is present on the system
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Determine installed NI-PAL versionOn Linux, check the driver module info with 'modinfo <driver_name>' or look for version strings in /sys/module/*/version. On Windows, right-click the driver file in Device Manager, select Properties, and check the Driver Version field. Alternatively, use 'driverquery /v' or check file properties of the driver file.Affected if Version cannot be determined or is <= 26.3.0
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Verify driver is loaded and activeOn Linux, confirm the driver shows 'Live' status in 'lsmod' output. On Windows, verify the driver has a 'Started' status in services.msc or via 'sc query' command for the NI-PAL related service.Affected if Driver is loaded and running
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Check for NULL pointer dereference crash logsOn Linux, review /var/log/kern.log, dmesg output, or journalctl for crash entries containing 'NULL pointer' and 'ni_pal' or 'pal' module references. On Windows, check Windows Event Viewer under System or Application logs for BugCheck (Blue Screen) events referencing the NI-PAL driver.Affected if Crash logs show NULL pointer dereference in NI-PAL driver occurring after the driver was loaded
A system is affected if the NI-PAL kernel driver is installed with version 26.3.0 or earlier and is currently loaded, regardless of whether a crash has occurred yet.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate NI-PAL to a version beyond 26.3.0 when a patch is released. As a workaround, limit local access to trusted authenticated users only until the update can be applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-8035 — 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-2026-8035 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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