Is CVE-2019-15949 actively exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks CVE-2019-15949 as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

What exploitation activity has KEV Intelligence observed?

KEV Intelligence has not yet recorded sensor-observed exploitation attempts for CVE-2019-15949. Our sensors continue to monitor for activity targeting this CVE.

Which versions are affected?

Version-level data is not available; KEV Intelligence tracks Nagios XI.

Yes. CVE-2019-15949 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Vulnerability report

Exploited in the wild Confirmed confidence In CISA KEV

CVE-2019-15949

Nagios / XI

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Severity: CVSS 8.8 · High
Confidence: Confirmed
Exploit status: Exploited in the wild
EPSS: 77.6%
First observed: —
Last observed: —

Decision summary

What security teams need to know first

Direct answers before the deeper technical record.

What it is

CVE-2019-15949 is a vulnerability affecting Nagios XI. Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root. The exploit requires access to the server as the nagios user, or access as the admin user via the...

Is it exploited?

Yes. KEV Intelligence tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed.

Who is affected?

Nagios / XI.

What should we do?

Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.

Overview

Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root

Nagios XI before 5.6.6 allows remote command execution as root. The exploit requires access to the server as the nagios user, or access as the admin user via the web interface.

The getprofile.sh script, invoked by downloading a system profile (profile.php?cmd=download), is executed as root via a passwordless sudo entry; the script executes check_plugin, which is owned by the nagios user. A user logged into Nagios XI with permissions to modify plugins, or the nagios user on the server, can modify the check_plugin executable and insert malicious commands to execute as root.

Published: 05 Sep 2019
Exploitation Reported: 03 Nov 2021
Attack vector: Remote
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None

CVE References

CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-15949
GitHub — jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit github.com · CVE Record https://github.com/jakgibb/nagiosxi-root-rce-exploit
packetstormsecurity.com/files/156676/Nagios-XI-Authenticated-Remote-... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156676/Nagios-XI-Authenticated-R...
packetstormsecurity.com/files/162158/Nagios-XI-getprofile.sh-Remote-... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162158/Nagios-XI-getprofile.sh-R...

Exploitation evidence

Why KEV Intelligence marks this CVE as exploited

Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.

Exploited in the wild

CISA

Recorded 03 Nov 2021

Independent exploitation attestation added to the KEV Intelligence record.

Proof of concept available

Recorded 28 Apr 2025

Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.

Known exploited vulnerability sources

Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEV Intelligence Pro API.

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Source	Added
CISA First	2021-11-03 00:00 UTC

Detection

Operational artifacts and observed signals

Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.

Observed signals

Request targets: 0
User-Agents: 0

Raw values available in Pro and Enterprise.

Scanner coverage

Metasploit template detected 28 Apr 2025.

View Metasploit template

Virtual patch status

No KEV Intelligence virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.

Learn about virtual patches →

Scanner Artifacts

Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.

Scanner	Reference	Detected
Metasploit	https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/nagios_xi_plugins_check_plugin_authenticated_rce.rb	28 Apr 2025

Risk and context

Severity, weaknesses, and research context

CVSS v3.1

8.8 High

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

EPSS

77.6%

Weaknesses

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') CWE-78

All CVSS Scores

CVSS v3.1 8.8 High

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

CVSS v2.0 9.0 High

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C

Potential Proof of Concepts

These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.

nagios_xi_plugins_check_plugin_authenticated_rce

metasploit · Created Unknown

Metasploit module for CVE-2019-15949

Timeline

From disclosure to observed exploitation

28 Apr 2025
Metasploit module available

Exploit module available
28 Apr 2025
Public PoC available

Public proof-of-concept code published
03 Nov 2021
Added to CISA KEV

Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
05 Sep 2019
CVE published

Vulnerability disclosed publicly
05 Sep 2019
CVE ID reserved

Identifier reserved by the CNA

Pro API

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Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.

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Evidence confidence and provenance
First-party sensor telemetry
PoC and scanner references
Affected versions and enrichment
Automation-ready JSON delivery

GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2019-15949

Free JSON includes basic KEV fields

{
  "cve_id": "CVE-2019-15949",
  "confidence": "Confirmed",
  "cvss_score": 8.8,
  "cvss_estimated": false,
  "epss_score": 0.77591,
  "exploit_status": {
    "exploited_in_the_wild": true,
    "active_exploitation_observed": false
  },
  "sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}

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