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CheckmkApplication

CVE-2023-31209

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Improper neutralization of active check command arguments in Checkmk < 2.1.0p32, < 2.0.0p38, < 2.2.0p4 leads to arbitrary command execution for authenticated users.

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

Command injection vulnerability in Checkmk's active check command argument handling allows authenticated users to inject and execute arbitrary OS commands on the host system through improperly neutralized input passed to active check plugins.

MitigationUpgrade Checkmk to version 2.1.0p32, 2.0.0p38, or 2.2.0p4 or later which includes proper input sanitization for active check command arguments.

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
CheckmkApplication
Affected:= 2.0.0= 2.1.0= 2.2.0
CheckmkApplication
Affected:< 2.0.0

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Checkmk installation version
    Run 'omd version' or 'cmk --version' on the Checkmk host, or check the Checkmk web interface under 'Help > About' to display the exact installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is any release of Checkmk 2.0.0 through 2.0.0p37, 2.1.0 through 2.1.0p31, or 2.2.0 through 2.2.0p3, OR any Tribe29 Checkmk version prior to 2.0.0
  2. Verify active check functionality is in use
    In the Checkmk web interface, navigate to 'Setup > Services > Active checks' or review the configuration directory (typically ~/etc/check_mk/conf.d/ or via WATO) for any active check rule definitions
    Affected if Any active check rules are configured and enabled, as the vulnerability exists in how arguments are passed to active check plugins
  3. Confirm user access to active check configuration
    Review user permissions in 'Setup > Users' or ~/etc/check_mk/multisite.d/wato/users.mk to determine if any non-administrator users have access to creating or modifying active check rules
    Affected if Any authenticated users (including non-admin) have permissions to configure active checks, since the command injection can be exploited by any authenticated user with such access

You are affected if your Checkmk installation version falls within the vulnerable ranges (pre-2.0.0, 2.0.0 through 2.0.0p37, 2.1.0 through 2.1.0p31, or 2.2.0 through 2.2.0p3) AND active check configuration is accessible to authenticated users

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 2.0.0 or later
Fixed in 2.0.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Checkmk to version 2.1.0p32, 2.0.0p38, or 2.2.0p4 or later which includes proper input sanitization for active check command arguments.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.0.0p38 (for 2.0.x) | 2.1.0p32 (for 2.1.x) | 2.2.0p4 (for 2.2.x) or later

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Checkmk version by running 'cmk --version' or checking the GUI about page
  2. 2. Based on your current version branch, plan the upgrade: If on 2.0.x series, upgrade to 2.0.0p38 or later; If on 2.1.x series, upgrade to 2.1.0p32 or later; If on 2.2.x series, upgrade to 2.2.0p4 or later
  3. 3. Create a full backup of the Checkmk configuration and monitoring data according to Checkmk backup documentation
  4. 4. Download the appropriate patched Checkmk version from the official Checkmk download page (checkmk.com)
  5. 5. Follow the Checkmk upgrade instructions for your installation type (RAW, Enterprise, or Managed): Stop the site, apply the package update, restart the site
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by running 'cmk --version' and confirming the patched version number
  7. 7. Test that the web interface is operational and monitoring is functioning correctly
Caveat Standard Checkmk upgrade procedures apply - review release notes for your version branch for any behavioral changes

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

Fix this in Checkmk Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-31209 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