CVE 9 CRITICAL

Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution via Backup Restore in nginx-ui_CVE-2026-42238

9 / 10
CRITICAL
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

Description

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.

AI Analysis

Unauthenticated remote code execution via backup restore in nginx-ui

Basic Information

ID CVE-2026-42238
Source GitHub_M
Published May 4, 2026 at 20:13

Affected Product

Vendor 0xJacky
Product nginx-ui
Version < 2.3.8
Affected Versions 0xJacky nginx-ui < 2.3.8

CWE Classification

AI Assessment

AI Score 9 / 10
AI Severity Critical
Vendor 0xJacky
Product nginx-ui
Version < 2.3.8

References

💭 Join the Security Discussion

🔒 Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

⚠️ Please be respectful and constructive in your comments. Security discussions should remain professional.