All vulnerabilities
CVE-2026-84731

Acropolis Operating System (AOS): Pre-Authentication Admin Bypass and Remote Code Execution in Nutanix Prism Gateway inside AOS

Nutanix Acropolis Operating System (AOS)
Open in ThreatlineRecord JSON
CVSS
9.3Critical
ExploitationNo known exploitationNot in CISA KEV, which does not prove it is unexploitedCISA KEV
Exploit odds (EPSS)1.28%Chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 69% of CVEs. Scored 23 Oct 2026FIRST EPSS
Fixed in7.3.1.18Also 7.5.2, 7.6.0.8CVE List
Published15 Oct 2026Updated 15 Oct 2026CVE List

What fixes it

  • 7.3.1.18Acropolis Operating System (AOS)CVE List
  • 7.5.2Acropolis Operating System (AOS)CVE List
  • 7.6.0.8Acropolis Operating System (AOS)CVE List

A fixed version on one release line is not the upgrade target for every line. Check your exact version and any vendor backports.

Description

An unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass authentication and gain full access to administrative API endpoints in Nutanix Prism Element by including a crafted internal management HTTP header. The vulnerability is caused by a misconfiguration in the application's authentication filters.

Consequently, the server responds with a Set-Cookie header containing a valid JSESSIONID. This session cookie decodes to a JSON Web Token (JWT) granting maximum cluster administrative privileges. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute root-level commands on all Controller VMs (CVMs) in the cluster, leading to complete cluster destruction and unauthorized access to VM memory and virtual disks.

Text from CVE List

Affected versions 3

  • Acropolis Operating System (AOS)affected: all versions before 7.3.1.18CVE List
  • Acropolis Operating System (AOS)affected: 7.5 before 7.5.2CVE List
  • Acropolis Operating System (AOS)affected: 7.6 before 7.6.0.8CVE List

References 3