CVE-2021-38304
Description
Improper input validation in NI-PAL driver versions 20.0.0 and prior allows a privileged local user to escalate privileges.
AI Insight
LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.
Improper input validation in NI-PAL driver versions 20.0.0 and prior allows a privileged local user to escalate privileges.
Vulnerability
Improper input validation in the National Instruments NI-PAL driver, versions 20.0.0 and prior, allows a privileged user to escalate privileges. The vulnerability exists in the NI-PAL component, which is included in many NI drivers. Affected versions are those earlier than 20.0.1f0 [1].
Exploitation
An attacker with local access and privileged user rights can exploit this vulnerability. The exact exploitation steps are not detailed, but the flaw is triggered via local access, suggesting the attacker can execute code or commands that leverage the improper input validation to achieve privilege escalation [1].
Impact
Successful exploitation allows a privileged user to escalate privileges further, potentially gaining higher-level access on the system [1].
Mitigation
NI has released a patch that updates NI-PAL to version 20.0.1f0. Users should download and install the patch from NI's security update page. The patch is backwards compatible. No workarounds are mentioned; applying the patch is the recommended mitigation [1].
AI Insight generated on May 27, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.
Affected products
2- National Instruments/NI-PAL driverdescription
Patches
0No patches discovered yet.
Vulnerability mechanics
No source-code context for this CVE — mechanics is only generated when we can read the actual fix diff. Without that, the four sections (root cause, attack vector, affected code, fix) would be speculation rather than analysis.
References
1News mentions
0No linked articles in our index yet.