Nginx ControllerWeb server / proxy · F5
CVE-2020-5863
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn NGINX Controller versions prior to 3.2.0, an unauthenticated attacker with network access to the Controller API can create unprivileged user accounts. The user which is created is only able to upload a new license to the system but cannot view or modify any other components of the system.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn NGINX Controller versions prior to 3.2.0, the Controller API lacks proper authentication enforcement, allowing an unauthenticated attacker with network access to create arbitrary user accounts. These created users are unprivileged and limited to license upload functionality only.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Nginx ControllerWeb server / proxy
>= 2.0.0, <= 2.9.0>= 3.0.0, < 3.2.0= 1.0.1all versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify NGINX Controller installationLocate NGINX Controller by checking for running containers named 'nginx-controller-api' or 'nginx-controller', or check for the service listening on port 8080/8443 (default API ports)Affected if NGINX Controller is installed and running
-
Determine installed versionQuery the Controller API version endpoint (e.g., GET /nginx/ctl/apiStatus or check the UI login page version footer), or inspect container image tags: docker images | grep nginx-controllerAffected if Version is 1.0.1, or between 2.0.0 and 2.9.0 inclusive, or between 3.0.0 and 3.1.x inclusive
-
Verify API network accessibilityCheck if the NGINX Controller API ports (8080 or 8443) are exposed to untrusted networks, or test unauthenticated API access from an external host using: curl -k https://<controller-host>:<port>/nginx/ctl/apiStatusAffected if API port is accessible from untrusted network without authentication
-
Test authentication enforcementAttempt an unauthenticated POST request to create a user: curl -k -X POST https://<controller-host>:<port>/api/v1/platform/users -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"username":"testuser","email":"[email protected]"}'Affected if Request succeeds without returning 401/403 authentication error (indicates the vulnerability is present)
User is affected if NGINX Controller version is 1.0.1, 2.0.0-2.9.0, or 3.0.0-3.1.x AND the API is network-accessible without authentication, allowing unauthenticated user creation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data3.2.0
Upgrade NGINX Controller to version 3.2.0 or later to remediate the authentication bypass vulnerability.
Fix this in Nginx Controller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,952.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5863 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-5863 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data