CVE-2026-42223: Nginx-UI Settings API Exposes Protected Secrets

May 6, 2026

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.

References

github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/releases/tag/v2.3.8
github.com/0xJacky/nginx-ui/security/advisories/GHSA-q4w7-56hr-83rm
github.com/advisories/GHSA-q4w7-56hr-83rm
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-42223

Code Behaviors & Features

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