Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Older versions of Nagios XI, a popular IT monitoring product, contain a flaw in the "My Reports" page that lets an attacker plant malicious script in a logged-in user's browser. The damage is limited to what that user can see or do in the web interface, but it can be used to steal sessions or trick administrators.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate, scheduled remediation. Patch during the next maintenance window if Nagios XI is below 5.2.4, especially when administrators access the console from shared or internet-exposed endpoints. No evidence of mass exploitation is cited.
Technical view
CVE-2016-15053 is a stored or reflected cross-site scripting issue (CWE-79) in the Nagios XI "My Reports" listing prior to version 5.2.4. Insufficient input validation or output encoding allows attacker-controlled data to render as executable script in a victim's authenticated browser session, enabling session theft, UI manipulation, or pivoting against admin users.
Likely exposure
Only Nagios XI deployments running versions earlier than 5.2.4 with the web interface reachable by authenticated users are exposed. Internet-exposed Nagios XI consoles, or those used by administrators across shared browsers, increase the practical risk.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is cited in the source bundle, and the CVE is not listed in CISA KEV. Exploitation requires an authenticated attacker (PR:L) and victim interaction (UI:P) per the CVSS 4.0 vector, which lowers but does not eliminate practical risk.
Researcher notes
Authenticated XSS in the My Reports listing of Nagios XI < 5.2.4 (CWE-79). CVSS 4.0 base 5.1 with PR:L and UI:P. Affected version data in the source bundle is sparse (versions:["0"], defaultStatus unaffected), so confirm exact fixed build via the Nagios changelog and the VulnCheck advisory before scoping.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Nagios XI to version 5.2.4 or later per vendor changelog.
- Restrict access to the Nagios XI web interface to trusted networks and VPN.
- Enforce least privilege on Nagios XI accounts that can author or view reports.
- Review browser session controls and enable short session timeouts for admins.
- Confirm patch status with Nagios support if running unsupported builds.
Validation and detection
- Identify Nagios XI version from the admin console and compare against 5.2.4.
- Inventory which users and roles can access the My Reports listing.
- Review web server and application logs for unusual report names or payloads.
- Test the upgraded instance to confirm the My Reports listing escapes input correctly.
- Track remediation in the asset register against CVE-2016-15053.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-15053 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.1 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
5.1MediumVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:P/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.nagios.com/changelog/nagios-xi/CVE reference · release-notes, patch
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nagios-xi-xss-via-my-reports-listingCVE reference · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.