CVE-2016-7067 in Monit
Summary
by MITRE
Monit before version 5.20.0 is vulnerable to a cross site request forgery attack. Successful exploitation will enable an attacker to disable/enable all monitoring for a particular host or disable/enable monitoring for a specific service.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-7067 affects Monit versions prior to 5.20.0 and represents a critical cross site request forgery weakness that undermines the security posture of system monitoring configurations. This flaw exists within the web interface of Monit, a widely used open source monitoring tool that provides automated system and service monitoring capabilities for Unix-like operating systems. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of HTTP requests originating from authenticated sessions, allowing malicious actors to manipulate the monitoring state of target systems through crafted requests that appear legitimate to the web interface.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when Monit processes administrative commands through its web interface without proper anti-CSRF token validation or origin verification mechanisms. An attacker can construct malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in web browsers to trick authenticated users into executing unintended administrative actions on the Monit server. This includes the ability to disable or enable monitoring for specific services or entire host monitoring configurations, effectively creating a denial of monitoring capability that leaves systems vulnerable to undetected failures or security incidents.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of system monitoring operations. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can disable monitoring for critical services, making system failures invisible to administrators until manual intervention occurs. This creates a window of opportunity for attackers to maintain persistence, conduct further exploitation, or cause significant operational damage without detection. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Monit for automated monitoring and alerting, potentially leading to extended periods of undetected system compromise or service degradation that could result in financial losses, compliance violations, or security breaches.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Monit version 5.20.0 or later where the CSRF protection mechanisms have been properly implemented. The fix addresses the vulnerability by implementing proper anti-CSRF token validation that ensures all administrative requests originate from legitimate authenticated sessions. Additional defensive measures include configuring network-level access controls to restrict direct web interface access, implementing proper authentication mechanisms such as multi-factor authentication, and monitoring for unusual administrative activity patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and represents a significant concern for organizations following ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and persistence through monitoring system manipulation. The vulnerability demonstrates how administrative interfaces, when improperly secured, can provide attackers with powerful capabilities to undermine system security and operational integrity.