Nginx ControllerWeb server / proxy · F5
CVE-2020-5911
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 versions 3.0.0-3.5.0, 2.0.0-2.9.0, and 1.0.1, the NGINX Controller installer starts the download of Kubernetes packages from an HTTP URL On Debian/Ubuntu 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 confidenceThe NGINX Controller installer downloads Kubernetes packages over an unencrypted HTTP connection on Debian/Ubuntu systems. This allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to intercept the download and inject malicious packages during the installation process, potentially compromising the target system.
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, <= 3.5.0= 1.0.1CVSS 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
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 installed Nginx Controller versionRun 'nginx-controller-api --version' or check /var/lib/nginx-controller directory for version file, or query the API service for its versionAffected if Version matches >= 2.0.0 to <= 2.9.0, or >= 3.0.0 to <= 3.5.0, or equals 1.0.1
-
Confirm operating system is Debian or UbuntuRun 'cat /etc/os-release' or 'lsb_release -a' to identify the OSAffected if OS is Debian or Ubuntu (the vulnerability only affects these systems)
-
Verify installer network configurationReview any installer logs, configuration files, or scripts used during initial installation for HTTP (non-HTTPS) URLs pointing to Kubernetes package repositoriesAffected if Installer uses HTTP URLs to download Kubernetes packages rather than HTTPS
-
Check if installation occurred over untrusted networkReview network logs, proxy configurations, or installation documentation to determine if the installer ran on a network where man-in-the-middle attacks were possibleAffected if Installer ran on an untrusted or public network without network-level protections
You are affected if the Nginx Controller version falls within the affected ranges AND the system is Debian/Ubuntu AND the installer downloaded packages over HTTP without verification.
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 dataEnsure installations occur only over trusted networks, or obtain and apply the vendor patch that replaces HTTP with HTTPS for package downloads.
Fix this in Nginx Controller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5911 — 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-2020-5911 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