CVE-2026-42220: nginx-ui: Authenticated settings disclosure exposes node.secret and enables trusted-node authentication abuse, backup exfiltration, and restore-based nginx-ui state rollback

Medium severity · published May 4, 2026

CVE-2026-42220

nginx-ui: Authenticated settings disclosure exposes node.secret and enables trusted-node authentication abuse, backup exfiltration, and restore-based nginx-ui state rollback

6.5

CVSS

0.3%

EPSS

On KEV

Description

Nginx UI is a web user interface for the Nginx web server. Prior to version 2.3.8, an authenticated user can call GET /api/settings and retrieve sensitive configuration values, including node.secret. The same node.secret is accepted by AuthRequired() through the X-Node-Secret header (or node_secret query parameter), causing the request to be treated as authenticated via the trusted-node path and associated with the init user. This issue has been patched in version 2.3.8.

CVSS vector

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

Attack vector

Network

Complexity

Low

Privileges

Low

User interaction

None

Confidentiality

High