CVE-2013-10072 in Nagios
Summary
by MITRE • 10/31/2025
Nagios XI versions prior to 2012R1.6 contain an authorization flaw in the Auto-Discovery functionality. Users with read-only roles could directly reach Auto-Discovery endpoints and pages that should require elevated permissions, exposing discovery results and allowing unintended access to discovery operations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-10072 resides within Nagios XI versions preceding the 2012R1.6 release, specifically targeting the Auto-Discovery functionality component. This authorization flaw represents a critical security oversight that undermines the principle of least privilege within the monitoring platform. The issue manifests when read-only users gain unauthorized access to administrative endpoints that should be restricted to users with elevated permissions, creating a significant escalation of privileges scenario. The Auto-Discovery feature is designed to automatically identify and catalog network devices and services, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking comprehensive network intelligence. This vulnerability directly violates the security model of Nagios XI by allowing unauthorized users to bypass access controls that should prevent read-only accounts from accessing sensitive discovery operations.
The technical implementation flaw stems from improper access control validation within the Auto-Discovery module's endpoint handling. When users attempt to access Auto-Discovery functionality, the system fails to properly verify user permissions before granting access to discovery results and operational controls. This authorization bypass occurs at the application layer where the system should enforce role-based access controls but instead permits direct endpoint access regardless of user credentials or assigned roles. The vulnerability can be exploited through direct URL manipulation or API calls that target specific Auto-Discovery endpoints, allowing attackers to enumerate network assets and potentially gain insights into network topology that should remain confidential to authorized administrators. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and specifically represents a weakness in access control mechanisms that enable unauthorized access to protected resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables unauthorized users to perform discovery operations that could reveal sensitive network information to individuals who should not have such access. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gather detailed information about network infrastructure, including device types, IP addresses, and potentially vulnerable services without proper authorization. The exposure of discovery results creates a significant risk for organizations relying on Nagios XI for network monitoring, as it provides attackers with valuable reconnaissance data that could be used to plan more sophisticated attacks. Furthermore, the ability to access discovery operations directly means that unauthorized users could potentially modify discovery parameters or initiate new discovery processes that could disrupt normal monitoring operations or provide false data to legitimate administrators.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Nagios XI 2012R1.6 or later versions where the authorization flaw has been addressed. System administrators should also review and enforce proper user role assignments to ensure that read-only accounts cannot access administrative functions, while implementing network-level controls to restrict access to Auto-Discovery endpoints. The remediation process should include comprehensive access control reviews and security testing to verify that proper authorization checks are in place for all administrative functions. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing robust access control mechanisms and the potential consequences of insufficient authorization validation in monitoring and security platforms. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to discovery functionality and establish proper incident response procedures to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this as a privilege escalation technique, specifically leveraging weak access control mechanisms to gain elevated system access through legitimate administrative functions.