The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a critical vulnerability in N-able’s N-central remote monitoring and management (RMM) software to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV). The move follows reported instances of customer networks being compromised through the flaw, which allows attackers to escalate privileges and access sensitive data.
N-central is used by thousands of managed service providers (MSPs) and small- to medium-sized businesses to monitor and manage their IT infrastructure remotely. However, a specific vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-23823, has been exploited in the wild, allowing malicious actors to gain elevated privileges on affected systems. This allows them to move laterally within networks, potentially accessing sensitive data and disrupting operations.
The flaw is related to a security feature designed to handle cross-domain privilege escalation, which is meant to limit an attacker’s ability to traverse between different levels of network access. However, in this case, the implementation appears to have been compromised, allowing attackers to circumvent these controls and access higher-privileged areas of the system. This has significant implications for organizations that rely on MSPs using N-central to manage their networks.
The CISA decision to add CVE-2022-23823 to its KEV catalog is a clear indication of the risk posed by this vulnerability. By including it in the list, the agency is signaling that this flaw should be treated with high urgency and addressed promptly to prevent further exploitation. Organizations using N-central are advised to review their system configurations and apply any available patches or updates to mitigate the risk.
The inclusion of CVE-2022-23823 in the KEV catalog also highlights the importance of prioritizing vulnerability management in today’s threat landscape. With attackers increasingly relying on exploited vulnerabilities as a means of breaching networks, organizations must stay vigilant and proactive in addressing these risks. This includes not only patching known vulnerabilities but also regularly reviewing system configurations and implementing additional security controls to limit potential attack vectors.
In practical terms, this means that MSPs using N-central should prioritize patching and configuration updates for their systems as soon as possible. They should also review their network architectures to identify any choke points or areas of high risk, which can be addressed through the implementation of additional security measures. This will help prevent further exploitation of CVE-2022-23823 and minimize the potential impact on affected organizations.
Source: The Hacker News — 2026-08-04