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Nagios XiApplication · Nagios

CVE-2023-48085

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.11.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Nagios XI before version 5.11.3 was discovered to contain a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability via the component command_test.php.

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 · moderate confidence

Nagios XI versions before 5.11.3 contain a pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability in the command_test.php component. An unauthenticated attacker can execute arbitrary code on the underlying system by sending specially crafted requests to this endpoint.

MitigationUpgrade Nagios XI to version 5.11.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation or disabling the affected component until the update can be applied.

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
Nagios XiApplication
Affected:< 5.11.3

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Determine installed Nagios XI version
    Locate the Nagios XI version through the admin web interface (typically at /nagiosxi/about.php or /admin/) or check the version file in the installation directory if accessible
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.11.3 (e.g., 5.11.2, 5.10.0, etc.)
  2. Locate command_test.php file
    Check for the presence of command_test.php in the Nagios XI web directory, typically found in the /nagiosxi/ or /var/www/html/nagiosxi/ directory structure
    Affected if The command_test.php file exists in the Nagios XI web root
  3. Verify web interface accessibility
    Determine if the Nagios XI web interface is network-accessible by testing HTTP/HTTPS connectivity to the server from external locations or by reviewing firewall rules and web server configuration
    Affected if The Nagios XI web interface is exposed to untrusted networks without proper network segmentation or authentication gating
  4. Check for recent exploitation indicators
    Review web server access logs (e.g., Apache access_log, Nginx access.log) for suspicious requests to command_test.php, looking for unusual POST parameters or command injection patterns
    Affected if Unexplained requests to command_test.php are found in web server logs, especially with unexpected parameter values or shell commands

Your environment is affected if Nagios XI version is below 5.11.3 AND the command_test.php component is present and accessible on a network-reachable interface.

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 5.11.3 or later
Fixed in 5.11.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Nagios XI to version 5.11.3 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation or disabling the affected component until the update can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Nagios XI 5.11.3

  1. Verify current Nagios XI version by navigating to the Admin > System Information section in the web UI
  2. Download Nagios XI version 5.11.3 or later from the official Nagios website (www.nagios.com)
  3. Back up the current Nagios XI installation including the /usr/local/nagios directory and the MySQL database
  4. Apply the upgrade using the official Nagios XI upgrade process (typically running the upgrade script or using the web-based upgrade utility)
  5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in Admin > System Information
  6. Confirm the command_test.php component no longer accepts unauthorized code injection
Caveat Exercise standard upgrade precautions - test in staging first, back up data, and verify compatibility with any custom plugins or integrations

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

Fix this in Nagios Xi Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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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-2023-48085 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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