Nginx ControllerWeb server / proxy · F5
CVE-2021-23019
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 · uneditedThe NGINX Controller 2.0.0 thru 2.9.0 and 3.x before 3.15.0 Administrator password may be exposed in the systemd.txt file that is included in the NGINX support package.
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 2.0.0-2.9.0 and 3.x before 3.15.0, the administrator password was stored in plain text within the systemd.txt file that gets included in support packages. This creates an information disclosure vulnerability allowing attackers with access to support packages to obtain administrative credentials.
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, < 3.15.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.
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Identify NGINX Controller versionRun 'nginx-controller-admin --version' or check the installed package version using your system package manager (e.g., rpm -q nginx-controller or dpkg -l nginx-controller)Affected if Version is 2.0.0-2.9.0 or 3.0.0-3.14.x (versions below 2.9.1 or 3.15.0)
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Locate support packagesSearch for files named 'systemd.txt' or support package archives (often .tar, .zip, or .tgz files in /var/log, /var/tmp, or directories used for generating support bundles)Affected if Support packages exist on the system from affected versions
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Inspect systemd.txt for credentialsExtract any found support packages and examine systemd.txt for plain text password strings (look for 'password=' or similar patterns in administrative user sections)Affected if systemd.txt contains unencrypted administrator passwords
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Check for credential exposureReview any support bundles or diagnostic archives generated while running vulnerable versions, looking for systemd.txt or similar configuration exportsAffected if Historical support packages from vulnerable versions are present and accessible
A system is affected if NGINX Controller version is below 2.9.1 or 3.15.0 AND support packages containing systemd.txt with plain text passwords exist on the system or were shared externally.
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 data3.15.0
Update NGINX Controller to version 3.15.0 or later (or 2.9.1 for the 2.x branch) and rotate all exposed administrator passwords immediately.
Fix this in Nginx Controller
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23019 — 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-2021-23019 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
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- 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
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