Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-48085

RCE in Nagios Xi ≤ 5.11.3

High EPSSRCE
Published
14 December 2023
Modified
22 May 2025
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.76 99.5th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-48085 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Nagios Nagios Xi. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.5% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Nagios XI versions prior to 5.11.3 contain a remote code execution vulnerability in the command_test.php component. The flaw is tracked as CVE-2023-48085 with a CVSS score of 9.8 and is associated with CWE-94 code injection weaknesses, allowing unauthenticated network attackers to achieve full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.

An attacker with no credentials or user interaction can send crafted requests directly to the affected component over the network, resulting in arbitrary command execution on the Nagios XI server and potential complete system takeover.

Advisories and patch information are referenced at the Nagios security page located at https://www.nagios.com/products/security/.

The associated EPSS score stands at 0.6240, indicating substantial exploitation interest following disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Nagios XI before version 5.11.3 was discovered to contain a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability via the component command_test.php.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2019-15949Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2018-8735Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2021-25297Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2021-25298Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2018-8734Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2023-40931Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2023-48084Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2023-40934Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2023-40933Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi
CVE-2021-37350Same product: Nagios Nagios Xi

Affected Assets

nagios
nagios xi
≤ 5.11.3

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

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.

addresses: CWE-94

Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.

addresses: CWE-94

Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.

addresses: CWE-94

Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.

addresses: CWE-94

Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.

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 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

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.

prevents

Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References