# CVE-2020-35578: Command injection in n/a

> Authenticated administrators can execute arbitrary OS commands via mishandled line-ending conversion during plugin uploads in Nagios XI.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Jan 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gp5w-f9p7-f7f5

## What is CVE-2020-35578?

CVE-2020-35578 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Nagios Nagios Xi, published on 13 Jan 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in the Manage Plugins page in Nagios XI before 5.8.0. Because the line-ending conversion feature is mishandled during a plugin upload, a remote, authenticated admin user can execute operating-system commands.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-35578?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nagios Nagios Xi.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-35578?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-35578 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-35578 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-35578 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Nagios XI Prior to 5.8.0 - Plugins Filename Authenticated Remote Code Exection (metasploit)
- Nagios XI 5.7.X - Remote Code Execution RCE (Authenticated) (exploitdb)
- Nagios XI Scanner (metasploit)

## Other vulnerabilities in Nagios Nagios Xi

- [CVE-2021-25296](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25296/): Nagios XI OS Command Injection (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-25297](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25297/): Nagios XI OS Command Injection (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-25298](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25298/): Nagios XI OS Command Injection (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-15949](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-15949/): Nagios XI Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-24401](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-24401/): SQL injection in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-35578 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-35578 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in Nagios Nagios Xi, published on 13 Jan 2021. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-35578 exists.

Affected product: Nagios Nagios Xi. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35578/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35578/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-35578
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35578
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-35578

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35578/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.