CVE-2020-36868 Nagios XI < 5.7.3 Privilege escalation via Insecure getprofile.sh Script
A local attacker can exploit insecure handling in the getprofile.sh script to execute arbitrary commands and escalate privileges on Nagios XI servers.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Local or same network only
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2020-36868?
CVE-2020-36868 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nagios Nagios Xi, published on 30 Oct 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Official 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.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-36868?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Nagios Nagios Xi.
How do I fix CVE-2020-36868?
No fix has been published for CVE-2020-36868 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Is CVE-2020-36868 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-36868 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Nagios Nagios Xi
Sources
Also known as GHSA-xjhg-wrcc-8945.