CVE-2018-10170

CVE-2018-10170 is a critical SYSTEM privilege escalation vulnerability affecting NordVPN 6.12.7.0 for Windows. The vulnerability stems from the "nordvpn-service" exposing a NetNamedPipe endpoint, allowing arbitrary applications to call methods. Specifically, the "Connect" method permits an attacker to control OpenVPN command-line arguments, enabling the execution of a malicious dynamic library plugin with SYSTEM privileges during new VPN connection attempts. This vulnerability has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) due to its network-based attack vector, low complexity, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. There is currently no public exploit code available (Metasploit, Nuclei, ExploitDB), and it is not listed on the CISA KEV catalog, nor does it show signs of active exploitation or significant community discussion.