Paper/Archive/CVE-2026-42238

CVE-2026-42238

0xJacky nginx-ui — Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via Backup Restore in nginx-ui

CVSS 9.8 (NVD)9.8 / 10 × 3029.4 Not in CISA KEV+300.0 EPSS percentile 61.8.618 × 2012.4 Exploit: SSVC poc+1010.0 SSVC exploitation: poc+100.0

Description · from the CVE record

Nginx UI is a web user interface for the Nginx web server. Prior to version 2.3.8, nginx-ui exposes a backup restore endpoint (POST /api/restore) that is completely unauthenticated during the first 10 minutes after process startup on any fresh installation. An unauthenticated remote attacker can upload a crafted backup archive that overwrites the application's configuration file (app.ini) and SQLite database. Because the attacker controls the restored app.ini, they can inject an arbitrary OS command into the TestConfigCmd setting. After the application automatically restarts to apply the restored config, a single follow-up request triggers that command as the user running nginx-ui — typically root in Docker deployments. This issue has been patched in version 2.3.8.

Affected

ProductAffectedFixed inSource

nginx-ui< 2.3.8–CNA

Scores by source

NVD9.8CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

GitHub_M (CNA)9.0CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

CISA ADPSSVCExploitation: poc · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

References

exploitgithub.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-4pvg-prr3-9cxr refgithub.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/releases/tag/v2.3.8