Description
An issue was discovered in Nagios XI before 5.9.3. The is_insecure_login_authenticated function uses a insecure timing comparison that leads to an attacker being able to bruteforce the admin password, by measuring timing differences in the comparison.
Published: 2026-09-14
Score: 3.5 Low
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Authentication bypass via timing side-channel
Action: Apply Update
AI Analysis

Impact

The Nagios XI function is_insecure_login_authenticated uses an insecure timing comparison (CWE‑208), allowing an attacker to measure response times during authentication attempts. This side‑channel information enables a brute‑force attack that can guess the admin password by exploiting timing differences in an otherwise correct password check.

Affected Systems

Based on the description it is inferred that all Nagios XI installations version 5.9.2 and earlier are affected. Nagios XI must be updated to 5.9.3 or later to contain the fixed comparison routine.

Risk and Exploitability

The CVSS score of 3.5 indicates low severity. The EPSS score is reported as less than 1 %, suggesting a low probability of exploitation, and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. Even so, an attacker with remote network access could launch a brute‑force attack by measuring timing differences to determine correct password characters. No special privileges or local access are required beyond network connectivity to the login interface.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 15, 2026 at 16:41 UTC.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade Nagios XI to version 5.9.3 or later so that the authentication comparison uses a constant‑time algorithm.
  • Restart Nagios XI services to ensure the new code is in use.
  • Implement network‑level login throttling or IP blocking to limit brute‑force attempts while the patch is applied.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on September 15, 2026 at 16:41 UTC.

Tracking

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Advisories

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History

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Timing Side-Channel Enables Brute-Force Login to Nagios XI

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Timing Side-Channel Enables Brute-Force Login to Nagios XI

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Nagios xi
Vendors & Products Nagios xi

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description An issue was discovered in Nagios XI before 5.9.3. The is_insecure_login_authenticated function uses a insecure timing comparison that leads to an attacker being able to bruteforce the admin password, by measuring timing differences in the comparison.
First Time appeared Nagios
Nagios nagios Xi
Weaknesses CWE-208
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios_xi:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Nagios
Nagios nagios Xi
References
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 3.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N'}


cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: mitre

Published:

Updated: 2026-09-16T14:30:20.590Z

Reserved: 2023-01-21T00:00:00.000Z

Link: CVE-2023-24035

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-09-16T14:30:14.232Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Awaiting Analysis

Published: 2026-09-14T04:16:35.293

Modified: 2026-09-22T19:56:19.073

Link: CVE-2023-24035

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-09-15T16:45:06Z

Weaknesses
  • CWE-208

    Observable Timing Discrepancy