CVE-2018-17147 in Nagios XI
Summary
by MITRE
Nagios XI before 5.5.4 has XSS in the auto login admin management page.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/24/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17147 represents a cross-site scripting flaw discovered in Nagios XI versions prior to 5.5.4, specifically affecting the auto login admin management page. This issue exposes organizations utilizing Nagios XI for network monitoring to potential security risks through malicious web script injection attacks that can compromise administrative access and system integrity. The vulnerability resides within the web application's handling of user input during the auto login process, where insufficient validation and sanitization of parameters allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of administrative sessions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications where untrusted data is improperly incorporated into web pages without adequate validation or escaping. The flaw occurs when the auto login mechanism fails to properly sanitize input parameters before rendering them in the administrative management interface, creating an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious URLs or forms that contain script payloads. When administrative users access the auto login page, these malicious scripts execute in their browser context, potentially allowing attackers to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized administrative actions, or redirect users to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete administrative compromise of the Nagios XI system. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can leverage the administrative privileges to modify monitoring configurations, disable alerts, access sensitive system information, or even escalate their privileges further within the network infrastructure. The attack vector typically involves social engineering techniques where administrators are tricked into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised web pages that contain the XSS payload. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Nagios XI for critical network monitoring operations, as compromise of the administrative interface can result in significant operational disruption and security breaches.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to Nagios XI version 5.5.4 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. Additional protective measures include implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious script patterns, and establishing regular security assessments of web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access and conducting regular security awareness training for personnel who interact with administrative web interfaces to reduce the risk of successful social engineering attacks targeting this vulnerability.