External risk intelligence

Nagios XI Docker Wizard Command Injection

CVE advisorySeverity: CRITICAL (CVSS 9.4)

CVE-2024-14005

Nagios XI is a network monitoring platform commonly deployed as a web-based management service. While this specific vulnerability requires authenticated administrator access, the product itself is frequently exposed as an internet-facing or edge-accessible management portal for network visibility, fitting the profile of a likely internet-reachable administrative surface.

OS Command Injection

Nagios Xi

before 20242024

Halo Surface Signal: 4 out of 5 — likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

A vulnerability in Nagios XI's Docker Wizard allows an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary commands, posing a significant risk to the integrity of the system and the data it manages. This issue stems from insufficient validation of user input within the wizard, which can be exploited to inject malicious commands.

Allows unauthorized command execution.
Impacts systems with administrative access.
Confirm relevance and exposure status.

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker with administrative access to Nagios XI could exploit a vulnerability within the Docker Wizard. By supplying specially crafted input, the attacker can inject malicious commands that are executed with the privileges of the Nagios XI web application user, potentially leading to arbitrary command execution.

Requires authenticated administrator access.
Triggered by input in the Docker Wizard.
Allows arbitrary command execution.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability could allow an authenticated administrator to execute arbitrary commands on the Nagios XI system, affecting its operational integrity. The vulnerability exists within the Docker Wizard when insufficient validation is applied to user-supplied input, which can be manipulated to inject shell metacharacters. This could lead to unauthorized command execution with the privileges of the Nagios XI web application user.

System commands and application control.
Exploited by authenticated administrator.
Compromise of monitoring system functionality.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

The Nagios XI Docker Wizard's command injection vulnerability impacts authenticated administrators. Infrastructure and platform teams are likely responsible for addressing this, requiring initial steps to identify all Nagios XI instances, confirm their exposure and criticality, and assign ownership to the relevant teams for remediation planning.

Infrastructure/Platform teams own remediation.
Verify all Nagios XI instances exist.
Plan remediation based on risk.

Supplementary metadata

CVSS vector

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Nagios XI?

Nagios XI is a comprehensive network monitoring platform used by IT teams to track the performance and availability of servers, network devices, and applications. It provides a centralized web-based dashboard for administrators to oversee complex infrastructures, manage configurations, and respond to alerts, effectively acting as a mission-critical control center for monitoring distributed system health.

What does CVE-2024-14005 mean by command injection?

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-78, or OS Command Injection. It occurs because the Docker Wizard component does not properly clean or filter data entered by a user. Because the application blindly trusts this input, an attacker can insert shell metacharacters—special symbols that tell the system to run new commands—allowing them to execute their own unauthorized instructions directly on the server hosting Nagios XI.

How is this vulnerability triggered?

The flaw is triggered specifically within the Docker Wizard feature by submitting crafted input that contains malicious shell commands. It is important to note that this bug does not trigger through general use of the monitoring dashboard or from unauthorized guests. Successful execution requires the attacker to first possess valid, authenticated administrator credentials for the Nagios XI application.

Do I need to worry if my Nagios XI is internal?

You should assess your risk regardless of placement. According to Halo Surface Signal, while this bug requires administrative access, Nagios XI is frequently deployed as a web-based management service. Because these portals are often placed on the network edge to provide visibility across various segments, they are frequently reachable, making administrative access a significant security boundary that must be protected.

How do I begin responding to this threat?

Start by identifying all deployed instances of Nagios XI within your environment to determine which versions are affected. Confirm the current patch level of these systems against the manufacturer's provided guidance. Once you have an accurate inventory, prioritize remediation by assigning ownership to your infrastructure or platform teams to ensure the necessary updates are applied to close the input validation gap.

References

Written by Nicholas Merritt

Nicholas Merritt is VP of Security Solutions at Halo Security. With more than 25 years across application security, vulnerability prioritization, and offensive security, he helps teams translate threat data into practical exposure validation and remediation focus. He authors Halo Threat Intelligence CVE advisories using Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context to prioritize internet-facing risk.