CVE-2016-1000029 in Nessus
Summary
by MITRE
Tenable Nessus before 6.8 has a stored XSS issue that requires admin-level authentication to the Nessus UI, and would potentially impact other admins (Tenable IDs 5218 and 5269).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1000029 represents a stored cross-site scripting flaw within Tenable Nessus versions prior to 6.8. This security weakness resides in the Nessus user interface and requires administrative privileges to exploit, making it a significant concern for organizations that rely on Nessus for vulnerability assessment and security monitoring. The vulnerability specifically affects the web-based administration interface of Nessus, which is commonly used by security professionals to configure scanning policies, manage users, and review security findings across network infrastructure. Stored XSS vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever a victim accesses the affected page, unlike reflected XSS where the payload must be delivered through external means.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Nessus web interface components that handle user-supplied data. When administrators interact with the Nessus UI to configure settings, create policies, or manage user accounts, certain parameters are not properly sanitized before being stored in the system's database and subsequently rendered back to users. This flaw allows authenticated attackers with administrative credentials to inject malicious JavaScript code into fields that are later displayed to other administrators who access the same interface. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that multiple administrators may be affected, as the malicious code executes in the context of other admin sessions, potentially leading to session hijacking, privilege escalation, or unauthorized access to sensitive security data.
The operational implications of this vulnerability extend beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for advanced persistent attacks within network security environments. An attacker who gains administrative access to Nessus can use this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code in the browser context of other administrators, potentially leading to complete compromise of the security monitoring infrastructure. This could result in the theft of sensitive vulnerability scan results, modification of security policies, or redirection of administrative sessions to malicious sites. The vulnerability's classification as a stored XSS aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws where input is stored and later retrieved without proper sanitization. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access through social engineering, as it can be used to harvest administrative credentials or manipulate security data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Nessus version 6.8 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation and privileged access controls should be enforced to limit the scope of potential exploitation, ensuring that administrative access is restricted to authorized personnel only. Regular security assessments should include verification of patch compliance and monitoring for suspicious administrative activities within Nessus environments. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and highlights the necessity of implementing proper security controls in security tools themselves, as these applications often contain sensitive data and administrative capabilities that make them attractive targets for attackers.