CVE-2025-34274
Published: 30 October 2025
Summary
CVE-2025-34274 is a critical-severity Execution with Unnecessary Privileges (CWE-250) vulnerability in Nagios Log Server. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 25.6% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 AC-6 (Least Privilege) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly enforces the principle of least privilege, preventing the Logstash process from running as root and limiting compromise impact to lower privileges even if exploited.
Requires timely flaw remediation via patching to Nagios Log Server 2024R2.0.3, where Logstash is reconfigured to run as the non-root 'nagios' user.
Mandates configuration settings for minimal privileges on network-facing services like Logstash that process untrusted input, enforcing non-root execution.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability involves a network-facing Logstash process running as root, enabling remote unauthenticated attackers to exploit public-facing applications (T1190) for arbitrary code execution with root privileges, directly facilitating exploitation for privilege escalation (T1068).
NVD Description
Nagios Log Server versions prior to 2024R2.0.3 contain an execution with unnecessary privileges vulnerability as it runs its embedded Logstash process as the root user. If an attacker is able to compromise the Logstash process - for example by exploiting…
more
an insecure plugin, pipeline configuration injection, or a vulnerability in input parsing - the attacker could execute code with root privileges, resulting in full system compromise. The Logstash service has been altered to run as the lower-privileged 'nagios' user to reduce this risk associated with a network-facing service that can accept untrusted input or load third-party components.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2025-34274 is an execution with unnecessary privileges vulnerability (CWE-250) affecting Nagios Log Server versions prior to 2024R2.0.3. The issue stems from the software's embedded Logstash process running as the root user, which elevates the potential impact of any compromise in this network-facing component. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), highlighting its critical severity due to high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by first compromising the Logstash process, such as through an insecure plugin, pipeline configuration injection, or a flaw in input parsing. Once compromised, the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code with root privileges, leading to full system compromise on the affected Nagios Log Server host.
Nagios advisories indicate that the vulnerability is addressed in version 2024R2.0.3 by modifying the Logstash service to run as the lower-privileged 'nagios' user rather than root, thereby reducing the risk for this service that processes untrusted input or third-party components. Additional details are available in the Nagios Log Server changelog at https://www.nagios.com/changelog/#log-server, the security advisories page at https://www.nagios.com/products/security/#log-server-2024R2, and the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nagios-log-server-logstash-process-root-privileges. Security practitioners should upgrade to the patched version and review Logstash configurations for potential entry points.
Details
- CWE(s)