Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-32781 is a high-severity Command Injection (CWE-77) 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 4% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV 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.
A command injection vulnerability exists in Paessler PRTG Network Monitor versions 23.2.84.1566 and earlier, specifically within the HL7 sensor. An authenticated user with write permissions can abuse the sensor's debug option to create arbitrary files on the system that may subsequently be executed through the EXE/Script sensor, corresponding to CWE-77 and carrying a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.2.
An attacker who already possesses valid credentials with sufficient write access can leverage this flaw to achieve remote code execution on the PRTG server. The attack requires network reachability to the monitoring instance but does not need user interaction or special privileges beyond those write permissions.
Paessler has addressed the issue, along with other vulnerabilities, in PRTG version 23.3.86.1520, as documented in the vendor's knowledge-base article. Public proof-of-concept code demonstrating authenticated remote code execution has been published on Packet Storm. The associated EPSS score currently stands at 0.4722 with a recorded peak of 0.4893.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-37004
Vulnerability Data
A command injection vulnerability was identified in PRTG 23.2.84.1566 and earlier versions in the HL7 sensor where an authenticated user with write permissions could abuse the debug option to write new files that could potentially get executed by the EXE/Script…
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sensor. The severity of this vulnerability is high and received a score of 7.2 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require input validation and neutralization that prevent command injection.
Runtime monitoring of software and data can detect anomalous command execution resulting from injection.
Identifying recorded vulnerabilities enables remediation of command-injection flaws before exploitation.
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.
Secure coding standards require proper escaping and parameterization of commands, directly eliminating CWE-77.
Security testing in development catches command-injection vulnerabilities before release.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and command construction practices that directly prevent command injection.
Application security requirements explicitly call for controls against injection flaws including command injection.
Secure architecture principles reduce the attack surface but do not prescribe the specific neutralization techniques needed.
Environment separation limits the blast radius of an exploited command injection but does not prevent the flaw itself.