Remote command execution (RCE) vulnerability in Nagios XI 5.2.x through 5.4.x before 5.4.13 allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands
Remote command execution (RCE) vulnerability in Nagios XI 5.2.x through 5.4.x before 5.4.13 allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the target system, aka OS command injection.
- Published
- Apr 17, 2018
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 63.6% · 99th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-78
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Report tools
Action score
54
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 19 / 30 · 63.6%
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| nagios | nagios xi | cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios_xi |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- nagios nagios xi5.2.0 and later · before 5.4.13
Same product
nagios: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2021-25298Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection.KEV88Now
- CVE-2019-15949Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root.KEV88Now
- CVE-2021-25296Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection.KEV87Now
- CVE-2021-25297Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection.KEV82Now
- CVE-2018-15708Snoopy 1.0 in Nagios XI 5.5.6 allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted HTTP request.66This week
- CVE-2021-37350Nagios XI before version 5.8.5 is vulnerable to SQL injection vulnerability in Bulk Modifications Tool due to improper input sanitisation.63This week
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×2
- Exploit-DB entry ×5
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2018-07-02 |
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2018-07-02 |
| Exploit-DB entry | remote | 2018-07-02 |
| Exploit-DB entry | webapps | 2018-04-30 |
| Exploit-DB entry | webapps | 2018-04-30 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/linux/http/nagios_xi_chained_rceNagios XI Chained Remote Code Executionexploit | 2016-03-06 |
| Metasploit module | exploit/linux/http/nagios_xi_chained_rce_2_electric_boogalooNagios XI Chained Remote Code Executionexploit | 2018-04-17 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-773 d
- Published
- First PoC+12 d
- TodaySep 30, 2026+3088 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
User input is inserted as text into a shell command. The shell may interpret special characters in the input as part of the command.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-78 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);Fixed
const host = req.body.host;if (!/^[a-z0-9.-]{1,253}$/i.test(host)) return res.sendStatus(400);execFile("ping", ["-c", "1", host], onResult);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Command DelimitersCAPEC-15likelihood: High · High
- Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-43likelihood: Medium · High
- Argument InjectionCAPEC-6likelihood: High · High
- OS Command InjectionCAPEC-88likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
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Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- assets.nagios.com/downloads/nagiosxi/CHANGES-5.TXT
- gist.github.com/caleBot/f0a93b5a98574393e0139104eacc2d0f
- www.nagios.com/downloads/nagios-xi/change-log/
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.