CVE-2018-10170: NordVPN 6.12.7.0 for Windows suffers from a SYSTEM privilege escalation vulnerability through the "nordvpn-ser

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CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2018-10170 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting nordvpn. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

NordVPN 6.12.7.0 for Windows suffers from a SYSTEM privilege escalation vulnerability through the "nordvpn-service" service. This service establishes an NetNamedPipe endpoint that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and call publicly exposed methods. The "Connect" method accepts a class instance argument that provides attacker control of the OpenVPN command line. An attacker can specify a dynamic library plugin that should run for

Why this priority

Critical severity
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	2.6% (top 14%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-732
Published	2018-04-16
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: nordvpn

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2018-04-16 21:29 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:33 UTCUpdated Record last modified

nordvpn nordvpn DOWNGRADE

Affected: 6.12.7.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 6.12.7.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy nordvpn || rpm -q nordvpn || nordvpn --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 6.12.7.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison nordvpn sudo apt install nordvpn=<VERSION_BEFORE_6.12.7.0> sudo apt-mark hold nordvpn

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list nordvpn sudo dnf downgrade nordvpn-<VERSION_BEFORE_6.12.7.0> sudo dnf versionlock add nordvpn

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2018-10170?

nordvpn: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2018-10170 being exploited?

CVE-2018-10170 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2018-10170 affect?

CVE-2018-10170 affects nordvpn. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). NordVPN 6.12.7.0 for Windows suffers from a SYSTEM privilege escalation vulnerability through the "nordvpn-service" service. This service establishes an NetNamedPipe endpoint that allows arbitrary installed applications to connect and call

How urgent is CVE-2018-10170?

Priority 61/100. Critical severity; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

Windows vulnerabilities · OpenVPN vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2018-9105 HIGH 8.8 DOWNGRADE NordVPN 3.3.10 for macOS suffers from a root privilege escalation vulnerability
CVE-2018-3952 HIGH 8.8 DOWNGRADE An exploitable code execution vulnerability exists in the connect functionality of NordVPN 6.14.28.0

References

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