CVE-2018-17148 in Nagios XI
Summary
by MITRE
An Insufficient Access Control vulnerability (leading to credential disclosure) in coreconfigsnapshot.php (aka configuration snapshot page) in Nagios XI before 5.5.4 allows remote attackers to gain access to configuration files containing confidential credentials.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-17148 represents a critical insufficient access control flaw within the Nagios XI monitoring platform that affects versions prior to 5.5.4. This security weakness resides in the coreconfigsnapshot.php component, which serves as the configuration snapshot page functionality. The vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and directly access sensitive configuration files that contain confidential credentials. The flaw stems from inadequate authorization checks that fail to properly validate user privileges before granting access to restricted system resources. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-285 category, which specifically addresses insufficient authorization issues in software systems.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to retrieve configuration files that typically contain database credentials, API keys, and other sensitive authentication information used by the Nagios XI platform. The impact extends beyond simple credential disclosure as these configuration files often contain administrative access tokens and system-level authentication details that could allow attackers to escalate privileges within the monitored environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows unauthenticated remote access to sensitive system information, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain comprehensive knowledge of the monitoring infrastructure and potentially use the disclosed credentials to compromise the entire system.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Nagios XI for network monitoring and security operations. The credential disclosure can lead to unauthorized access to critical infrastructure monitoring systems, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate alerts, disable monitoring capabilities, or gain access to other systems within the network that share the same credentials. The exposure of configuration files can also reveal network topology information, service configurations, and other sensitive operational details that aid in further attack planning. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials usage and privilege escalation through compromised authentication mechanisms. Organizations may experience service disruption, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure if this vulnerability is exploited successfully.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate deployment of the patched version 5.5.4 or later, which addresses the insufficient access control by implementing proper authentication checks and authorization validation for the coreconfigsnapshot.php component. System administrators should also review and restrict access to sensitive configuration files through additional network segmentation measures and implement monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to configuration resources. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other components of the Nagios XI platform and related monitoring infrastructure. The remediation process should include comprehensive credential rotation for any systems that may have been compromised through this vulnerability, along with enhanced logging and alerting mechanisms to detect suspicious access patterns to sensitive system files.