Nssm-2.24 Privilege Escalation __exclusive__ Access

The most common way attackers use to escalate privileges is by exploiting weak file or folder permissions . When a service is managed by NSSM, it typically runs with SYSTEM or Administrator privileges.

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a malicious configuration file with elevated privileges. When a user with limited privileges attempts to start a service using NSSM, the service manager will execute the malicious configuration file, allowing the attacker to gain elevated privileges.

@echo off net user hacker P@ssw0rd /add net localgroup administrators hacker /add nssm-2.24 privilege escalation

They observe BINARY_PATH_NAME points to C:\ProgramData\app\worker.bat .

When NSSM starts the service, it will execute the attacker's path instead of the intended application. Mitigation and Defense The most common way attackers use to escalate

sc query state= all | findstr SERVICE_NAME sc qc MyLegacyApp

When MyLegacyApp runs, worker.bat executes as SYSTEM. The attacker now has a new admin user. When a user with limited privileges attempts to

However, "stability" does not equal "security." While NSSM is not malicious software, its architecture—particularly version 2.24—contains specific behaviors that, when misconfigured or combined with existing system vulnerabilities, can serve as a powerful vector for an attacker who has already achieved limited user access.