nginx-ui: Settings API Exposes Protected Secrets
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-42223 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | GitHub_M |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-05-04 21:16:32 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-05-06 14:46:24 UTC |
| Description | Nginx UI is a web user interface for the Nginx web server. Prior to version 2.3.8, the GetSettings API handler (api/settings/settings.go:24-65) serializes all settings structs to JSON and returns them to authenticated users. Many sensitive fields are tagged with protected:"true" - however, this tag is only enforced during writes (via ProtectedFill in SaveSettings) and is completely ignored during reads. This exposes 40+ protected fields including JwtSecret (enabling auth token forgery), NodeSecret (enabling cluster node impersonation), OIDC ClientSecret (enabling OAuth account takeover), and the IP whitelist configuration. This issue has been patched in version 2.3.8. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v3.1 6.5 MEDIUM from [email protected]
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS: 0.000310000 probability, percentile 0.086630000 (date 2026-05-05)
Problem Types: CWE-200 | CWE-200 CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | [email protected] | Secondary | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
| 3.1 | CNA | DECLARED | 6.5 | MEDIUM | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N |
CVSS v3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
NetworkAttack Complexity
LowPrivileges Required
LowUser Interaction
NoneScope
UnchangedConfidentiality
HighIntegrity
NoneAvailability
NoneCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)
Vendor Declared Affected Products
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-q4w7-56hr-83rm | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 | github.com | Exploit, Vendor Advisory |
| github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/releases/tag/v2.3.8 | [email protected] | github.com | Release Notes |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.
There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.