Path Traversal in NGINX Agent

Executive Summary

This vulnerability in NGINX Agent allows a low-privileged attacker to gain limited read and write access to files outside the designated secure directory. The config_dirs directive, which can also be set via NGINX Instance Manager, enables this unauthorized access, potentially crossing security boundaries.

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Detection Guidance

Detecting this vulnerability requires checking NGINX Agent configuration files for the config_dirs directive and verifying if it allows access to unintended directories. Inspect configuration files in /etc/nginx-agent/ or similar paths for config_dirs settings. Use commands like grep -r "config_dirs" /etc/nginx-agent/ to search for the directive. Check file permissions with ls -la /etc/nginx-agent/ and validate if the specified directories are restricted properly.

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Impact Analysis

A remotely authenticated low-privileged attacker could exploit this to read or modify files outside the intended directories. This may lead to unauthorized data access, configuration changes, or further system compromise depending on the exposed files.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access or modification of sensitive data, violating confidentiality requirements in GDPR and HIPAA. Compliance may be compromised if protected data is exposed or altered.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediately review and restrict permissions for the NGINX Agent config_dirs directive. Ensure it only points to intended directories and does not allow access outside secure boundaries. Update NGINX Agent and Instance Manager to the latest patched versions if available.

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