PublicCVE

CVE-2026-42238

CRITICAL9.0JSON exportCreate alert

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.

CVSS breakdown

CVSS 4.0
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Passive
Confidentiality (Vulnerable System)
High
Integrity (Vulnerable System)
High
Availability (Vulnerable System)
High
Confidentiality (Subsequent System)
High
Integrity (Subsequent System)
High
Availability (Subsequent System)
High

Affected products