Overview
The vulnerability CVE-2024-22197 is a serious security concern in Nginx-ui, an online server monitoring tool. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to all users of the affected software, potentially leading to system compromise, data leakage, and unauthorized privilege escalation. It necessitates immediate attention and remediation due to its high severity score.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-22197
Severity: High (CVSS: 7.7)
Attack Vector: Network (API)
Privileges Required: Low (authenticated access)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Remote Code Execution, Privilege Escalation, and Information Disclosure
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Nginx-ui | Up to 2.0.0.beta.8
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by sending a malicious request to the API. Although the Nginx-ui interface does not allow users to modify certain settings, the underlying API does expose `test_config_cmd`, `reload_cmd`, and `restart_cmd`. By crafting a specific request to this API, an attacker can execute arbitrary commands, escalate privileges, and disclose sensitive information.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how an attacker might exploit this vulnerability through a HTTP POST request:
POST /api/config HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
Content-Type: application/json
{
"test_config_cmd": "malicious_command",
"reload_cmd": "malicious_command",
"restart_cmd": "malicious_command"
}This would allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the server, potentially leading to unauthorized system access or data leakage.
Mitigation and Recommendations
Organizations using Nginx-ui are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible. The issue has been patched in version 2.0.0.beta.9. As a temporary mitigation measure, you could use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to monitor and block any suspicious API requests.
