CVE-2023-24035 Nagios CVE debrief

Who should care

Defenders responsible for Nagios XI installations should assess exposure and prioritize verifying the version and applying patches or mitigations to prevent potential brute-force attacks on the admin password.

Why it matters

CVE-2023-24035 is a vulnerability in Nagios XI before version 5.9.3, where an insecure timing comparison in the is_insecure_login_authenticated function allows an attacker to brute-force the admin password by measuring timing differences in the comparison. Defenders responsible for Nagios XI installations should assess exposure and prioritize verifying the version and applying patches or mitigations to prevent potential brute-force attacks on the admin password.

• Brute-force attacks on the admin password may be possible due to insecure timing comparison
• Defenders should verify the version of Nagios XI and apply patches or mitigations to prevent potential attacks
• The vulnerability may allow attackers to measure timing differences in the comparison to brute-force the admin password

Technical summary

The is_insecure_login_authenticated function in Nagios XI before version 5.9.3 uses an insecure timing comparison, allowing an attacker to brute-force the admin password by measuring timing differences in the comparison. This vulnerability impacts Nagios XI installations, enabling attackers to potentially brute-force the admin password. Defenders should prioritize verifying the version of Nagios XI and applying patches or mitigations to prevent potential brute-force attacks on the admin password. The insecure timing comparison in the is_insecure_login_authenticated function can be exploited by attackers to measure timing differences and brute-force the admin password.

Defensive priority

Defenders should prioritize verifying the version of Nagios XI and applying patches or mitigations to prevent potential brute-force attacks on the admin password.

Recommended defensive actions

• Verify the version of Nagios XI and apply patches or mitigations to prevent potential brute-force attacks on the admin password
• Review and update the admin password to prevent potential brute-force attacks
• Monitor for potential brute-force attacks on the admin password
• Review compensating controls for exposed systems while remediation is scheduled and verified
• Check relevant monitoring, detection, and logs for exposed assets that need extra review
• Track exceptions, retest remediated assets, and close the item only after evidence is documented
• Confirm whether affected product deployments exist in managed environments and assign an owner for follow-up

Evidence notes

The CVE record and NVD vulnerability detail page provide information on the vulnerability, but the corpus does not establish versions, exploitation, impact, or remediation beyond vendor-provided change logs and security disclosures.

Sources and references

Methodology and review provenance

AI-assisted synthesis based on stored public vulnerability evidence. System validation, approval state, and publication status do not by themselves establish human review of this revision. PatchSiren helps prioritize defensive review and does not prove exposure or remediation on any system.