CVE-2018-9276
RCE in Paessler Prtg Network Monitor ≤ 18.2.39
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2018-9276 is a high-severity OS Command Injection (CWE-78) vulnerability in Paessler Prtg Network Monitor. Its CVSS base score is 7.2 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2018-9276 is an OS command injection vulnerability, tracked under CWE-78, that affects PRTG Network Monitor versions prior to 18.2.39. The flaw resides in the web console's handling of sensor and notification management functions, where insufficient input validation on administrative parameters permits arbitrary operating system commands to be executed on both the monitoring server and managed devices.
An attacker with authenticated access to the PRTG System Administrator console and administrative privileges can exploit the issue by submitting specially crafted parameters. Successful exploitation grants the ability to run arbitrary commands with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, corresponding to the CVSS 7.2 rating that reflects network-accessible attack vectors requiring only high privileges and no user interaction.
Public exploit code and proof-of-concept reports have been published on Exploit-DB and PacketStorm, confirming that working remote code execution payloads targeting the sensor and notification interfaces are readily available.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2018-20870
Vulnerability Data
An issue was discovered in PRTG Network Monitor before 18.2.39. An attacker who has access to the PRTG System Administrator web console with administrative privileges can exploit an OS command injection vulnerability (both on the server and on devices) by…
more
sending malformed parameters in sensor or notification management scenarios.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 04 February 2025
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
—
V1.2.5V1.2.8V15.2.5
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.
Routine patching/maintenance can remediate known command-injection CVEs in dependencies (partial forward) but does nothing to stop developers from introducing improper neutralization in custom code (none reverse).
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing and code review target insecure use of operating-system command interfaces, catching command-injection flaws introduced during development.