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CVE-2026-42238

critical

Nginx UI is a web user interface for the Nginx web server.

Vendor / product: Nginxui — nginx ui

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.

CVSS
9.8
9.8 (CVSS v3.1)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Severity source: NVD CVSS v3.1 (nvd@nist.gov)
Timeline (UTC)
Published: 2026-05-04 21:16
Modified: 2026-10-25 23:10
NVD status: Analyzed
Last synced 1 day ago
Verified against the source API 2026-10-27 07:07 UTC
Exploitation
Not listed in CISA KEV (as of last catalog sync)
Absence from KEV does not mean a CVE is not exploited. Exploitation status: unknown (no authoritative evidence in our sources).

Affected products

nginxui / nginx_ui <2.3.8

Weakness classification (CWE)

Source: NVD / CISA. “NVD-CWE-Other” and “NVD-CWE-noinfo” mean NVD could not assign a specific weakness.

Mitigation & advisories

Vendor advisory: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-4pvg-prr3-9cxr
Vendor advisory: https://github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-4pvg-prr3-9cxr

References

Data sources

NVD CVE API 2.0 — fetched 2026-10-27 07:07 UTC · record ↗

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