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CVE-2025-34078 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting NSClient++ 0.5.2.35 when both the web interface and ExternalScripts features are enabled. The issue arises because the NSClient++ configuration file, nsclient.ini, stores the administrative web interface password in plaintext and the file is readable by local users. A local attacker can recover the administrative credential from the configuration, authenticate to the NSClient++ web interface, and then abuse the ExternalScripts functionality to register a malicious script, save the modified configuration, and trigger execution through the API. Because NSClient++ commonly runs with SYSTEM privileges, the injected command executes as SYSTEM, allowing elevation from a local low-privilege context to full administrative control on the host. The insecure behavior is documented, but the plaintext credential exposure breaks the intended separation between unprivileged local users and privileged NSClient++ administrative operations.
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This repository contains a single Metasploit module (modules/exploits/windows/local/nscp_pe.rb) that exploits a privilege escalation vulnerability in NSClient++ version 0.5.2.35 on Windows. The exploit leverages the NSClient++ web interface and the 'ExternalScripts' feature, both of which must be enabled. The attacker must have access to the NSClient configuration file (typically C:\Program Files\NSClient++\nsclient.ini) to extract the admin password, which is stored in cleartext. Using this password, the module authenticates to the NSClient++ web interface, configures a malicious external script (PowerShell payload), reloads the application, and triggers the payload to gain SYSTEM/admin privileges and a shell. The module interacts with several HTTP endpoints exposed by NSClient++ for configuration and command execution. The code is operational and provides a working privilege escalation exploit with a customizable payload, making it suitable for post-exploitation scenarios.
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