CVE-2021-37352 in Nagios XI
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2021
An open redirect vulnerability exists in Nagios XI before version 5.8.5 that could lead to spoofing. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could send a link that has a specially crafted URL and convince the user to click the link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2021
The open redirect vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-37352 affects Nagios XI versions prior to 5.8.5, representing a significant security weakness that enables attackers to manipulate user navigation through maliciously crafted URLs. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure redirection practices that have been classified as CWE-601 by the CWE database, specifically addressing the issue of open redirects that can be exploited to direct users to malicious websites. The flaw resides in the application's handling of redirect parameters within its web interface, where user-provided URLs are not properly validated or sanitized before being used for navigation purposes. This weakness creates an avenue for attackers to craft deceptive links that appear legitimate but redirect users to phishing sites or malicious domains, thereby compromising user security and potentially leading to credential theft or other malicious activities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to construct URLs that contain malicious redirect parameters, leveraging the application's trust in user input to manipulate the navigation flow. When users click on these crafted links, the application processes the redirect without sufficient validation, causing the browser to navigate to the attacker-controlled destination. This behavior represents a fundamental breakdown in input validation and output encoding practices that should prevent such manipulations. The vulnerability demonstrates poor secure coding practices and inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data, which aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for "Phishing" and T1566.002 for "Spearphishing via Service" as attackers can leverage this flaw to create convincing phishing campaigns that exploit user trust in legitimate applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple navigation manipulation, as it provides attackers with a potential entry point for more sophisticated attacks within the target environment. Users who click on malicious links could be redirected to sites designed to harvest credentials, install malware, or perform other malicious activities that compromise the security posture of the organization. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Nagios XI is used for critical monitoring and alerting, as it could enable attackers to manipulate security alerts or redirect users away from important system information. Organizations relying on Nagios XI for network monitoring and incident response may find their security operations compromised if attackers exploit this vulnerability to redirect users from legitimate monitoring interfaces to malicious sites, potentially leading to undetected compromise of critical infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-37352 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding for all redirect parameters within the Nagios XI application. Organizations should immediately upgrade to Nagios XI version 5.8.5 or later, which includes patches addressing this vulnerability. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict URL validation that only allows redirection to predetermined trusted domains, implementing Content Security Policy headers to prevent unauthorized redirects, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious redirect patterns, while security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts through log analysis and network traffic inspection. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of secure coding practices and the need for regular security updates to protect against known exploitation techniques that leverage common web application flaws.