ServiceNow CVE-2026-103093: admin sandbox escape, patch it
CVE-2026-103093 lets a ServiceNow admin escape the Rhino sandbox and run code on the host. CVSS 9.4. Patch self-hosted instances and cut your admin list.
ServiceNow published a new critical flaw on October 29. CVE-2026-103093 is a sandbox escape in the ServiceNow AI Platform, scored CVSS 9.4. An authenticated user with the admin role can get out of the Rhino script sandbox and run arbitrary code on the host operating system. No attacks are known yet. That is the good news, and it is also the time to act.
What actually happened
ServiceNow's October 2026 security advisory (KB3228994) covers three fixes. Per the CVE record and SecurityOnline:
- CVE-2026-103093 (9.4, CVSS 4.0): an admin can bypass Rhino sandbox restrictions and execute code on the underlying host, "potentially enabling further unintended access." The vector needs high privileges but no user interaction.
- CVE-2026-103094 (7.1): sensitive credentials stored in cleartext.
- CVE-2026-6877 (5.3): a domain separation bypass in CSM Task Plan Templates.
ServiceNow says it deployed the fix to hosted instances itself. Self-hosted customers and partners must apply it. The fixed builds include Zurich Patch 12, Zurich Patch 13, Zurich Patch 10 Hot Fix 3b, Yokohama Patch 13 Hot Fix 4a and Australia Patch 5. ServiceNow says it has seen no malicious exploitation.
This is not the July flaw. CVE-2026-6875 was unauthenticated and was exploited within days of the self-hosted patch. This one needs an admin account, which makes it less urgent and more interesting.
Why the admin-role sandbox escape matters for your business
"Requires admin" sounds like a safe word. It is not. Admin roles spread. Consultants get one for a project and keep it. Integration accounts get admin because it was faster. A phished admin password is now a path from the ServiceNow UI to the server's operating system, and from there to whatever that host can reach.
Self-hosted? Patch to a fixed build this week. Hosted? Your instance is patched, but the lesson still applies: count your admins. Every account with the admin role is a code-execution credential for this bug class. Remove the stale ones, put MFA on the rest, and give integrations scoped roles, not admin.
Key takeaways
- CVE-2026-103093 (CVSS 9.4) lets a ServiceNow admin escape the Rhino sandbox and run code on the host OS
- Hosted instances are patched by ServiceNow; self-hosted customers must upgrade to a fixed build
- No exploitation is known, and the bug needs an admin account. It is not the July pre-auth flaw
- Audit your admin role list: stale consultant and integration accounts are now a code-execution risk
Not sure who holds admin on your platforms? We audit roles, replace shared and over-privileged integration accounts with scoped ones, and build the patch process for the systems you host yourself. See our services.
Sources: ServiceNow KB3228994, SecurityOnline.
- #servicenow
- #cve-2026-103093
- #sandbox-escape
- #patching
- #access-control
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