A critical blind SQL injection vulnerability, identified as CVE-2023-51448, has been discovered in Cacti, a widely-used network monitoring, performance, and fault management framework. This vulnerability, centered around Cacti’s SNMP Notification Receivers feature, has the potential to expose sensitive information and even lead to remote code execution. An authenticated attacker with specific permissions can exploit the flaw by sending a crafted HTTP GET request, triggering the vulnerability. While the Cacti maintainers have promptly addressed the issue in version 1.2.26, users are strongly advised to upgrade to this version to mitigate the risk.
Cacti, frequently utilized in network operation centers of telecoms and web hosting providers, plays a crucial role in collecting network performance data and storing it in RRDtool. The vulnerability allows attackers, under certain conditions, to disclose the entire Cacti database contents or execute remote code, adding urgency to the need for mitigation measures. The severity of the issue is emphasized by the historical targeting of internet-exposed Cacti servers a year ago, reinforcing the importance of timely upgrades to secure against potential exploits. The discovery of this vulnerability, CVE-2023-51448, underscores the continuous efforts by security researchers, with Synopsys researcher Matthew Hogg being credited for identifying and reporting the flaw to the Cacti maintainers.
While there is currently no evidence of the vulnerability being exploited in the wild, the risk remains significant, and users are strongly encouraged to take preventive action. Cacti maintainers have provided a fix in version 1.2.26, and users are urged to upgrade to this version promptly. This case highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining the security of widely-used frameworks, necessitating a proactive approach from users and maintainers to stay ahead of potential threats and vulnerabilities in the rapidly evolving landscape of network monitoring and management.
