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highRemote Code Execpublic exploit

CVE-2026-48554

CVE-2026-48554 — Nagios Core / XI Authenticated RCE via Unfiltered NOTIFICATION-Family Macro Substitution

Nagios Core before 4.5.14 and Nagios XI before 2026R1.7 are vulnerable to authenticated remote code execution via unfiltered NOTIFICATION-family macro substitution through the com_data parameter. When a notification command references $NOTIFICATIONCOMMENT$ or $NOTIFICATIONAUTHOR$ in a shell-reachable position, authenticated UI users can run arbitrary commands as the nagios user. Exploitation requires a non-default configuration in which a notification command references these macros in a shell-executed command line.

Published Updated Sources: NVD, Nagios Enterprises, LLC. (CNA), GitHub, GitHub Security Advisory, SOCRadar CTI

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the scoring sources call it.

Exploitation

Exploit code

public exploit, none observed

EPSS

0%

ahead of 0% of scored CVEs

Affects

Nagios Enterprises, LLC.

2 products listed

CVSS base

7.5

high · 2 sources

Remediation

The vendor's own words where we have them.

Upgrade Nagios Core to a fixed release. Apply vendor patches per advisory and restrict external exposure of the affected component until patched.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record's own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found.

  • Identify exposed assets running affected vendor/product/version combinations.
  • Prioritize based on EPSS, PoC availability, and external exposure.
  • Search available logs for exploit probes, errors, authentication anomalies, or suspicious child processes matching the vulnerability class.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and version as the advisories word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatus
Nagios Enterprises, LLC.Nagios Core0 to < 4.5.14Vulnerable
Nagios Enterprises, LLC.Nagios XI0 to < 2026R1.7Vulnerable

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Availability

High

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Scope

Unchanged

Attack Complexity

High

Attack Vector

Network

Privileges Req

Low

User Interaction

None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.1high1.65.9VulnCheck (CNA), Nagios Enterprises, LLC. (CNA), GHSA
7.7CVSS 4.0highNagios Enterprises, LLC. (CNA)

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness & attack patterns

  • CWE-78OS Command Injection

Attack patterns reported against this CVE. The ATT&CK techniques below are inferred from its weakness class.

CAPEC-15 · Command DelimitersCAPEC-88 · OS Command InjectionCAPEC-43 · Exploiting Multiple Input Interpretation LayersCAPEC-108 · Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-6 · Argument Injection

Public exploit

Capability, not use: code existing is a different claim from anyone running it.

Repositories

3

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not rules we have tested.

  • Prioritize edge telemetry for network-reachable Nagios Core, Nagios XI.
  • Monitor for scanner or exploit-pattern traffic after 3 public PoC repositories were reported.
web/proxy/WAF logsapplication logsnetwork IDS/IPSEDR process telemetryhost service logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first — with the readings a source repeats on a schedule counted underneath rather than listed.

  1. 2026
  2. Added · CVSS 3.1 7.5 (AV:N)

    Aug 12, 2026 · NVD

  3. Initial · CVE published

    Aug 12, 2026 · NVD

  4. Added · GHSA-f3vr-3658-6fxw published (high)

    Aug 12, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisory

Source activity

Readings a source repeats on a schedule, counted rather than listed.

  • CVE modified by NIST, Cweid, Description, Published, Modified, LinkAug 12, 2026 · SOCRadar CTI

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record1

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-48554 is Nagios Core / XI Authenticated RCE via Unfiltered NOTIFICATION-Family Macro Substitution, a high vulnerability affecting Nagios Core, Nagios XI from Nagios Enterprises, LLC.. The current evidence does not list it in CISA KEV, and the exploit status is: Active exploitation is not confirmed from current sources for CVE-2026-48554. Public exploit evidence is: 3 public PoC repositories reported; 0 marked weaponized in current dataset. The affected-version evidence is listed in the key facts and affected products tables. Defenders should first verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run those versions, then apply vendor patches or mitigations, restrict reachable attack surface, and preserve logs for detection review. CVSS 7.5 describes technical severity, while EPSS 0% helps estimate near-term exploit likelihood; neither replaces asset context. Unknown fields should remain explicit in tickets, and threat actor, IOC, victimology, or payload claims should not be added unless a cited source supports them. Monitor CISA KEV, vendor advisories, NVD changes, public PoC repositories, and internal telemetry for update triggers.