dbcve.org
Nginx AgentWeb server / proxy · F5

CVE-2023-1550

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.9.0 / 2.23.3 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Insertion of Sensitive Information into log file vulnerability in NGINX Agent. NGINX Agent version 2.0 before 2.23.3 inserts sensitive information into a log file. An authenticated attacker with local access to read agent log files may gain access to private keys. This issue is only exposed when the non-default trace level logging is enabled. Note: NGINX Agent is included with NGINX Instance Manager and used in conjunction with NGINX API Connectivity Manager, and NGINX Management Suite Security Monitoring.

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 confidence

NGINX Agent versions 2.0 through 2.23.2 insert sensitive information (specifically private keys) into log files when trace-level logging is enabled. An authenticated attacker with local file system access can read the agent log files to obtain these private keys.

MitigationUpgrade NGINX Agent to version 2.23.3 or later. As a compensating control, ensure trace-level logging is not enabled in production environments until the upgrade is completed.

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 AgentWeb server / proxy
Affected:>= 2.0.0, < 2.23.3
Nginx Instance ManagerWeb server / proxy
Affected:>= 2.0.0, < 2.9.0

CVSS 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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed NGINX Agent version
    Run 'nginx-agent --version' or check the package manager for the installed nginx-agent package version
    Affected if Version is 2.0.0 or higher but lower than 2.23.3
  2. Identify installed Nginx Instance Manager version
    Run 'nim --version' or check the package manager for the installed nginx-instance-manager package version
    Affected if Version is 2.0.0 or higher but lower than 2.9.0
  3. Check if trace-level logging is enabled
    Inspect the NGINX Agent configuration file (typically in /etc/nginx-agent/ or as specified in your deployment) for a log_level or trace setting set to 'trace' or 'debug'
    Affected if Trace-level logging is explicitly enabled in the agent configuration
  4. Examine log files for private key content
    Locate NGINX Agent log files (commonly in /var/log/nginx-agent/ or the configured log directory) and search for patterns resembling private keys (PEM headers, BEGIN/END RSA PRIVATE KEY, or base64-encoded key material)
    Affected if Private key material is present in any log file
  5. Verify file permissions on log files
    Check file permissions on NGINX Agent log files using 'ls -la' to confirm if unauthorized local users could read them
    Affected if Log files are readable by users other than the nginx-agent service account or root

You are affected if you are running NGINX Agent below 2.23.3 or Instance Manager below 2.9.0 AND trace-level logging is enabled, which would cause private keys to be written to readable log files.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.9.0 / 2.23.3 or later
Fixed in 2.9.02.23.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade NGINX Agent to version 2.23.3 or later. As a compensating control, ensure trace-level logging is not enabled in production environments until the upgrade is completed.

Recommended fix High confidence

NGINX Agent >= 2.23.3, NGINX Instance Manager >= 2.9.0

  1. Identify the currently installed NGINX Agent version using 'nginx-agent --version' or checking the package manager
  2. Identify the currently installed NGINX Instance Manager version
  3. For NGINX Agent: Upgrade to version 2.23.3 or later by updating the package repository and reinstalling
  4. For NGINX Instance Manager: Upgrade to version 2.9.0 or later by updating the package repository and reinstalling
  5. After upgrade, verify the new version is installed correctly
  6. Review log configuration to ensure trace-level logging is only enabled when necessary for debugging
  7. If trace logging was enabled, verify that no sensitive information (private keys) appears in logs after the upgrade
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes or deprecated features between current and target versions before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Nginx Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-1550 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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