Introduction
Attackers with even minimal access can escalate to full administrative control in vulnerable Nagios Log Server deployments. This flaw exposes cleartext API keys for all users, including administrators, to any authenticated account via a single API call. Nagios Log Server is a widely used enterprise log management solution from Nagios Enterprises, a major vendor in IT infrastructure monitoring with a global customer base and a suite of products including Nagios XI, Core, and Network Analyzer. The platform is often deployed in critical environments to centralize and analyze log data, making any compromise particularly impactful.
Technical Information
CVE-2025-44823 affects Nagios Log Server versions before 2024R1.3.2. The vulnerability is rooted in the /nagioslogserver/index.php/api/system/get_users API endpoint. Any authenticated user, regardless of privilege level, can issue a GET request to this endpoint with a valid API token. The endpoint responds with a JSON object containing sensitive details for all users, including usernames, email addresses, and most critically, their API keys in cleartext.
The root cause is the absence of proper authorization checks on this endpoint. Instead of restricting access to administrative users, the endpoint discloses sensitive data to any authenticated session. This violates the principle of least privilege and exposes the entire system to privilege escalation. Exploit-DB entry 52177 documents the exploitation method in detail. An attacker can use a command like:
curl -X GET "http://<target-ip>/nagioslogserver/index.php/api/system/get_users?token=<valid_token>"
The response includes all user accounts and their API keys, enabling an attacker to immediately escalate privileges and potentially compromise the entire system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-497 (exposure of sensitive system information to an unauthorized control sphere).
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Nagios Log Server
- Affected versions: All versions before 2024R1.3.2 (including 2024R1.3.1 and earlier)
- Vulnerable configuration: Any deployment where users can authenticate and access the API
Vendor Security History
Nagios Enterprises has a track record of regular security updates across its product line. In 2025, Nagios Log Server was affected by several critical vulnerabilities including CVE-2025-29471 (stored XSS) and this API key disclosure. While patches were released promptly, the recurrence of high-severity issues in the same product family suggests architectural weaknesses in access control and internal security review processes.
