CVE-2011-2179 in Icinga
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in config.c in config.cgi in (1) Nagios 3.2.3 and (2) Icinga before 1.4.1 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the expand parameter, as demonstrated by an (a) command action or a (b) hosts action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2179 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in the configuration interface of monitoring systems, specifically affecting Nagios 3.2.3 and Icinga versions prior to 1.4.1. This issue resides within the config.c component of config.cgi, which serves as a crucial administrative interface for managing monitoring configurations. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the system's configuration pages. The flaw manifests when the expand parameter is manipulated during command action or hosts action operations, allowing attackers to execute malicious code within the context of authenticated user sessions. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in input validation and output encoding, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to exploit web application security gaps.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to potentially escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to monitoring systems that are often critical infrastructure components. When an authenticated user navigates to a page containing the malicious payload, the injected scripts execute in their browser context, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the authenticated user. The vulnerability affects both Nagios and Icinga monitoring platforms, which are widely deployed across enterprise environments for system and network monitoring, making the potential attack surface substantial. Attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access to monitoring infrastructure, potentially compromising the integrity of system alerts and operational visibility. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, where adversaries can use XSS to execute malicious code within user browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal prerequisites, as it targets the administrative interface of monitoring systems that are often accessible to network administrators and system operators. Attackers need only to craft malicious payloads containing HTML or JavaScript code and inject them through the expand parameter in the config.cgi interface. The vulnerability exists because the system fails to properly sanitize or encode user input before rendering it in web pages, creating a direct path for script execution. The specific nature of the flaw in config.c demonstrates a classic input validation failure where the application assumes all input from external sources is safe, without implementing proper sanitization mechanisms. This weakness creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited across different user sessions and potentially affect multiple system components depending on the privileges of the authenticated user. The vulnerability's exploitation can be automated through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns or direct web interface manipulation, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on these monitoring systems for security operations and incident response activities.