CVE-2018-20172 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A vulnerability has been found in versions of Nagios XI prior to 5.5.8. The XSS vulnerability is caused by the absence of filtering in the rss_url parameter of rss_dashlet/magpierss/scripts/magpie_slashbox.php.

Understanding CVE-2018-20172

An issue was discovered in Nagios XI before 5.5.8 where the rss_url parameter of rss_dashlet/magpierss/scripts/magpie_slashbox.php is not filtered, resulting in an XSS vulnerability.

What is CVE-2018-20172?

This CVE identifies a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Nagios XI versions prior to 5.5.8 due to inadequate filtering in a specific parameter.

The Impact of CVE-2018-20172

The vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute malicious scripts in the context of an unsuspecting user's browser, potentially leading to unauthorized actions or data theft.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-20172

Vulnerability Description

The XSS vulnerability in Nagios XI versions before 5.5.8 is a result of unfiltered input in the rss_url parameter of a specific script.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Nagios XI
Vendor: Nagios
Versions Affected: All versions prior to 5.5.8

Exploitation Mechanism

The absence of proper input filtering in the rss_url parameter allows an attacker to inject and execute malicious scripts within the application.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Nagios XI to version 5.5.8 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Implement strict input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to address known vulnerabilities.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate potential security weaknesses.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all software components, including Nagios XI, are regularly updated with the latest security patches to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.