Vulnerability record · CVE-2009-2288 · published 1 July 2009
CVE-2009-2288: Nagios statuswml.cgi command injection via ping and traceroute parameters
Nagios · Nagios
statuswml.cgi in Nagios before 3.1.1 passes the ping and Traceroute parameters to a shell without sanitizing shell metacharacters, allowing OS command injection. This is a remotely reachable flaw in a widely deployed monitoring product, so successful exploitation gives an attacker command execution in the context of the Nagios web process.
Description
statuswml.cgi in Nagios before 3.1.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in the (1) ping or (2) Traceroute parameters.
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Automated analysis
high priorityUnauthenticated remote command execution with a very high EPSS score and public exploit reference, though not currently in CISA KEV.
What it is
statuswml.cgi in Nagios before 3.1.1 passes the ping and Traceroute parameters to a shell without sanitizing shell metacharacters, allowing OS command injection. This is a remotely reachable flaw in a widely deployed monitoring product, so successful exploitation gives an attacker command execution in the context of the Nagios web process.
Impact
An unauthenticated remote attacker can execute arbitrary operating system commands on the Nagios host. That can lead to full compromise of the monitoring server and any credentials or managed hosts it controls.
Attack surface
Reached over the network through the Nagios web interface endpoint statuswml.cgi, per the AV:N/AC:L/Au:N vector, so no authentication or user interaction is required. The vulnerable inputs are the ping and Traceroute parameters.
Exploitation
Not listed in CISA KEV, but EPSS is very high (0.83453, 99.666th percentile) and a reference is tagged Exploit, indicating public exploit material exists.
What to do
- Upgrade Nagios to 3.1.1 or later, or apply the vendor/distribution patch for statuswml.cgi.
- If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to statuswml.cgi and the Nagios web interface to trusted management networks.
- Run the Nagios web process with least privilege and avoid running it as root.
- Review and remove unnecessary CGI scripts from the Nagios web directory.
- Monitor vendor advisories (Debian DSA-1825, Ubuntu USN-795-1, Gentoo GLSA 200907-15) for the fixed package versions.
Detection
- Inspect web server and Nagios CGI logs for requests to statuswml.cgi containing shell metacharacters such as ;, |, &, $, or backticks in ping or Traceroute parameters.
- Alert on unexpected child processes spawned by the Nagios web server user, especially shells or network utilities.
- Monitor for outbound connections or command execution originating from the Nagios host outside normal monitoring behavior.
This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.
Affected products
1 vulnerable configurations from NVD's CPE data, grouped by vendor and product.
References
Track CVE-2009-2288 inside VULONE
Watch it alongside the ransomware crews, C2 infrastructure and forum chatter that reference it, query it through the API and pull it into your SIEM over TAXII.
Related vulnerabilities
Same products first, then exploited flaws of the same weakness class.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database (record CVE-2009-2288), CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS (scores of 2026-09-26). This page is refreshed as NVD updates the record.
