CVE-2020-27991 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Nagios XI before 5.7.5 is vulnerable to XSS in Account Information (Email field).

Understanding CVE-2020-27991

Nagios XI before 5.7.5 is susceptible to a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Account Information Email field.

What is CVE-2020-27991?

This CVE identifies a security issue in Nagios XI that allows attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of an authenticated user's session.

The Impact of CVE-2020-27991

The vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access, data theft, and potential compromise of the affected system.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-27991

Nagios XI before version 5.7.5 is affected by this XSS vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability exists in the handling of input in the Email field of Account Information, allowing attackers to inject and execute malicious scripts.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Nagios XI
Vendor: Nagios
Versions affected: All versions before 5.7.5

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by injecting malicious scripts into the Email field, which get executed when viewed by an authenticated user.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2020-27991.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Nagios XI to version 5.7.5 or later to eliminate the vulnerability.
Regularly monitor and review user inputs to detect and prevent XSS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement input validation and output encoding to prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
Educate users on safe browsing practices and the risks associated with executing scripts from untrusted sources.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches released by Nagios to address vulnerabilities like CVE-2020-27991.