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NVD / CVE Program· CNA VulnCheck

CVE-2020-36856: Nagios XI < 5.6.14 Authenticated RCE command_test.php via address

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 38/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 2.4% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 84.5% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. Administrator privileges are required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: Nagios XI 5.6.14.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Nagios XI 5.6.14 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Nagios XI versions prior to 5.6.14 contain an authenticated remote command execution vulnerability in the CCM command_test.php script. Insufficient validation of the `address` parameter allows an authenticated user with access to the Core Config Manager to inject shell metacharacters that are incorporated into backend command invocations. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary command execution with the privileges of the Nagios XI web application user and may be leveraged to execute commands on the underlying XI host, modify system configuration, or fully compromise the host.

CriticalCVSS 9.4 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 30, 2025
Updated
Oct 18, 2026
EPSS
2.4% · 84th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

38

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
37 / 40 · 9.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
1 / 30 · 2.4%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · VulnCheck
9.4
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

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When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
nagiosnagios xi

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • nagios nagios xibefore 5.6.14

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (VulnCheck). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Nagios XI

    • before 5.6.14affected · semver

Same product

nagios: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-15949Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root.KEV
    88Now
  • CVE-2021-25298Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection.KEV
    87Now
  • CVE-2021-25296Nagios XI version xi-5.7.5 is affected by OS command injection.KEV
    87Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2018-25122Oct 30, 2025 · Nagios XI < 5.4.13 Component Download Page RCE
    35Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2018-25123Oct 30, 2025 · Nagios XI < 5.5.7 Privilege Escalation via MRTG Graphing Component
    34Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-36857Oct 30, 2025 · Nagios XI < 5.6.14 Authenticated SQL Injection via SNMP Trap Interface Page
    35Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Nagios XI5.6.14Vendor (CNA)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

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.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

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 researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-2041113 days apartNagios Host zabbixagent_configwizard_func Command Injection Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    58Plan
  • CVE-2026-2043113 days apartNagios Host esensors_websensor_configwizard_func Command Injection Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
    58Plan
  • CVE-2025-3422735 days apartNagios XI < 2026R1 Configuration Wizard Authenticated Command Injection
    42Plan
  • CVE-2024-140030 days apartNagios XI < 2024R1.2 RCE via NRDP Server Plugins
    38Monitor
  • CVE-2024-140050 days apartNagios XI < 2024R1.2 Command Injection via Docker Wizard
    38Monitor
  • CVE-2024-140080 days apartNagios XI < 2024R1.3.2 RCE via WinRM Configuration Wizard
    38Monitor

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.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
None
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-78 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

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 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

ts
const host = req.body.host;exec("ping -c 1 " + host, onResult);

Fixed

ts
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.

ATT&CK techniques

—

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (2 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records