CVE-2016-15051 in Nagios
Summary
by MITRE • 10/31/2025
Nagios XI versions prior to 5.2.4 are vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) via the Reports interface through values from the startdate and enddate fields. Insufficient validation or escaping of user-supplied input may allow an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary script in the context of a victim's browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/17/2025
Nagios XI is a comprehensive network monitoring and management platform that provides real-time visibility into network infrastructure performance and availability. The platform's Reports interface serves as a critical component for generating and analyzing system metrics, performance data, and alert summaries. This interface allows administrators to create custom reports by specifying date ranges, which are essential for historical analysis and compliance reporting. The vulnerability exists within the parameter handling mechanism of this reporting functionality, specifically affecting versions prior to 5.2.4. Organizations relying on Nagios XI for critical infrastructure monitoring face significant risks when these vulnerable versions remain in production environments.
The technical flaw manifests as a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability in the Reports module where the application fails to properly sanitize user input from the startdate and enddate parameters. When users submit date ranges through the reporting interface, the system does not adequately validate or escape the input values before processing them. This insufficient input validation creates an opening for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's response. The vulnerability occurs because the application directly incorporates user-supplied date parameters into HTML output without proper sanitization, allowing attackers to craft specially formatted date inputs that contain executable JavaScript code. The flaw is particularly concerning as it affects parameters that are commonly used in legitimate reporting operations, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the context of authenticated users. An attacker could inject scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or modify report data to obscure security incidents. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Nagios XI is used for security monitoring, as it could allow attackers to manipulate or hide security events while simultaneously gaining access to privileged user sessions. The attack vector is relatively simple to exploit, requiring only a web browser and knowledge of the Nagios XI interface, making it accessible to attackers with basic web application exploitation skills. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 which describes improper neutralization of input during web page generation, and aligns with attack patterns documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under technique T1566 for credential access and T1071 for application layer protocols.
Organizations should immediately implement the patch released by Nagios as part of version 5.2.4 to address this vulnerability. The fix involves proper input validation and sanitization of date parameters within the Reports interface, ensuring that user-supplied values are properly escaped before being rendered in HTML output. Security teams should also consider implementing additional defensive measures such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious input patterns, network monitoring to identify potential exploitation attempts, and regular security scanning of the Nagios XI installation to identify similar vulnerabilities. Additionally, administrators should review user permissions and implement principle of least privilege to limit the impact of potential exploitation, as this vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to escalate privileges or access sensitive system information. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and serves as a reminder of the necessity for regular security updates and vulnerability assessments in monitoring systems that handle sensitive operational data.