Nagios XI < 5.7.3 Privilege escalation via Insecure getprofile.sh Script

Description

Nagios XI versions prior to 5.7.3 contain a privilege escalation vulnerability in the getprofile.sh helper script. The script performed profile retrieval and initialization routines using insecure file/command handling and insufficient validation of attacker-controlled inputs, and in some deployments executed with elevated privileges. A local attacker with low-level access could exploit these weaknesses to cause the script to execute arbitrary commands or modify privileged files, resulting in privilege escalation.

Timeline

Scores

EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)

0.34% · top 73% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)

CISA SSVC

Exploitation: none · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total

The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.5.

Weakness

• CWE-73 External Control of File Name or Path (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-73 and its CVEs
• CWE-250 Execution with Unnecessary Privileges (opens in a new tab)All about CWE-250 and its CVEs

Affected products

• Nagios · XI

  • affected < 5.7.3

What to do

Solution: Nagios addresses this vulnerability as "Fixed privilege escalation vulnerability in getprofile.sh."

References (2)

• https://www.nagios.com/changelog/nagios-xi/ (opens in a new tab)release-notespatch
• https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nagios-xi-privilege-escalation-via-insecure-getprofile-script (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisory

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

• CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
• CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
• NVD (opens in a new tab)
• FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
• OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
• GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
• CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)

Badge for a README or a ticket

[![CVE-2020-36868](https://trackcve.app/badge/CVE-2020-36868.svg)](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2020-36868)

Record last updated 17 Nov 2025, 18:21 UTC.