# CVE-2023-36821: Uptime Kuma authenticated remote code execution via plugin installation

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2023-36821-uptime-kuma-authenticated-remote-code-execution-via-plugin  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2024-05-01. Updated: 2026-09-25  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2023-36821 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2024-05-01

Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted uptime monitoring application that tracks the availability and performance of websites and services. An authenticated attacker can exploit the plugin installation mechanism to execute arbitrary code on the server by uploading a malicious plugin that leverages npm install scripts, potentially compromising the entire monitoring infrastructure and any systems it has access to.

Technologies: [uptime-kuma (npm)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/uptime-kuma). Vendors: [npm](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/npm).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2023-36821 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2023-36821 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2023-36821?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 1 May 2024.

**Which products and versions are affected?** uptime-kuma (npm) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=1.22.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2023-36821?** Yes. uptime-kuma (npm): upgrade to 1.22.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2023-36821 attacked?** It is attacked over the network.

**Am I affected by CVE-2023-36821?** Check whether you run uptime-kuma (npm) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- uptime-kuma (npm): upgrade to 1.22.1 or later

  ```sh
  npm install uptime-kuma@1.22.1
  ```


## Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the plugin installation mechanism, which fails to validate plugins against an official list or disable npm scripts during installation. When a plugin is installed, the application calls npm install without the --ignore-scripts flag, allowing execution of preinstall, postinstall, and other npm lifecycle scripts embedded in a malicious plugin's package.json. Attack vector is network-accessible (requires login), with low attack complexity and low privilege requirements—any authenticated user can trigger plugin installation via the API endpoints even when the feature is disabled in the web UI. An attacker gains arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Uptime Kuma process (often root in containerized deployments). The vulnerability was patched in version 1.22.1.

## Affected products

- Louis Lam Uptime Kuma <=1.22.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2023-36821
- GHSA-7grx-f945-mj96

## Timeline

- 2023-07-05: disclosed
- 2024-05-01: advisory: Published to GitHub Security Advisory database
- 2023-07-05: patched: Patch released in version 1.22.1

## References

- [https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma/security/advisories/GHSA-7grx-f945-mj96](https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma/security/advisories/GHSA-7grx-f945-mj96)

## Related threats

- [Uptime Kuma missing authorization check on ping badge endpoint](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-32230-uptime-kuma-missing-authorization-check-on-ping-badge-endpoint)
- [Uptime Kuma Server-side Template Injection in notification templates](https://junglewise.ai/threats/uptime-kuma-server-side-template-injection-in-notification-templates-8547405a)
- [Uptime Kuma ReDoS in pushdeer and whapi notification providers](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-26042-uptime-kuma-redos-in-pushdeer-and-whapi-notification-providers)
- [Uptime Kuma ReDoS in notification provider configuration](https://junglewise.ai/threats/uptime-kuma-redos-in-notification-provider-configuration-e7e79209)
- [Uptime Kuma path traversal in plugin installation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2023-36822-uptime-kuma-path-traversal-in-plugin-installation)