Link following in nagios
Priority LOW 36CWE-59Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
Attack profile from CVSS 3.0 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
A privilege escalation vulnerability was found in nagios 4.2.x that occurs in daemon-init.in when creating necessary files and insecurely changing the ownership afterwards. It's possible for the local attacker to create symbolic links before the files are to be created and possibly escalating the privileges with the ownership change.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.01141 66th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Public exploit Yes 1 exploit referenceTagged by the CNA and NVD
Fix Will not fix Red Hat: no fix planned
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagios Enterprises, LLC. | nagios | 4.2.x | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- nagios VendorNagios Enterprises, LLC. Affected 4.2.x Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.2.0 | Vulnerable | Nagios |
| cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.2.1 | Vulnerable | Nagios |
| cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.2.2 | Vulnerable | Nagios |
| cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 4.2.3 | Vulnerable | Nagios |
- cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.2.0 Vulnerable ·Nagios
- cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.2.1 Vulnerable ·Nagios
- cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.2.2 Vulnerable ·Nagios
- cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios:4.2.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 4.2.3 Vulnerable ·Nagios
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 5 (Icehouse) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 6 (Juno) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 7 (Kilo) | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Storage 3 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Mobile Application Platform 4
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2016-8641
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xh33-x4fq-3r2h
References
More Nagios Enterprises, LLC. vulnerabilities
- TI-2012-05452 Nagios XI Network Monitor Graph Explorer Component < 1.3 Authenticated Command Injection CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.6
- TI-2026-84257 OS command injection in Nagios XI via MIB upload CVSS 4.0HIGH 8.6
- TI-2026-35913 Nagios Core / XI Authenticated RCE via Unfiltered NOTIFICATION-Family Macro Substitution CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.7
- TI-2026-35912 Nagios Core / XI Authenticated RCE via Custom-Variable Macro Injection CVSS 4.0HIGH 7.7
- TI-2026-35908 Nagios Core / XI CSRF via cmd.cgi Double-Submit Cookie CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
- TI-2026-35907 Nagios Core CSRF via cmd.cgi CVSS 4.0MEDIUM 6.9
Sources
- CVE-2016-8641 · CVE Program
- CVE-2016-8641 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xh33-x4fq-3r2h · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2016-8641 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences