CVE-2025-61909: CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges in Icinga icinga2
Icinga 2 is an open source monitoring system. From 2.10.0 to before 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13, the safe-reload script (also used during systemctl reload icinga2) and logrotate configuration shipped with Icinga 2 read the PID of the main Icinga 2 process from a PID file writable by the daemon user, but send the signal as the root user. This can allow the Icinga user to send signals to processes it would otherwise not permitted to. A fix is included in the following Icinga 2 versions: 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2025-61909 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges) affecting the Icinga 2 open-source monitoring system. Specifically, versions from 2.10.0 up to but not including 2.13.13, 2.14.7, and 2.15.1 contain a flaw in the safe-reload script and logrotate configuration. These components read the PID of the main Icinga 2 process from a PID file that is writable by the daemon user. However, when sending signals to this PID, the operation is performed with root privileges. This design flaw allows the Icinga daemon user to send signals to processes it normally would not have permission to interact with, potentially enabling unauthorized process control or privilege escalation. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require that the attacker has daemon-level privileges on the system. The CVSS v4.0 score is 4.0 (medium severity), reflecting limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability but acknowledging the risk of privilege misuse. No public exploits have been reported, but the vulnerability is considered significant enough to warrant patching. The issue is resolved in Icinga 2 versions 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13, which correct the PID file handling and signal sending mechanism to prevent unauthorized signaling. Organizations relying on Icinga 2 for monitoring should assess their versions and apply updates promptly to avoid potential exploitation.
Potential Impact
The primary impact of CVE-2025-61909 is the potential for privilege escalation or unauthorized process control within systems running vulnerable versions of Icinga 2. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability, it allows the Icinga daemon user to send signals as root to arbitrary processes, which could be leveraged by an attacker with daemon-level access to disrupt monitoring services, interfere with other critical processes, or escalate privileges. For European organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, telecommunications, finance, and government, this could lead to operational disruptions or serve as a stepping stone for further attacks. The risk is heightened in environments where Icinga 2 is deployed with elevated privileges and where daemon user access is not tightly controlled. Although no known exploits are currently in the wild, the vulnerability's presence in widely used monitoring software makes it a potential target for attackers seeking to exploit privilege misconfigurations. Failure to patch could expose organizations to insider threats or lateral movement within networks.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Upgrade Icinga 2 to the fixed versions: 2.15.1, 2.14.7, or 2.13.13 as soon as possible to eliminate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict write permissions on the PID file to prevent unauthorized modification by the daemon user or other non-privileged accounts. 3. Review and harden the permissions and ownership of scripts and configuration files related to safe-reload and logrotate to ensure they do not allow privilege escalation. 4. Implement strict access controls and monitoring for the Icinga daemon user to detect any unusual signaling or process interactions. 5. Use system-level security mechanisms such as SELinux or AppArmor to confine the Icinga daemon's capabilities and limit its ability to send signals to unrelated processes. 6. Conduct regular audits of monitoring infrastructure and ensure that only trusted administrators have daemon-level access. 7. Monitor logs for suspicious reload or signal activities that could indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 8. Incorporate this vulnerability into vulnerability management and patching workflows to ensure timely remediation.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Poland, Belgium
CVE-2025-61909: CWE-250: Execution with Unnecessary Privileges in Icinga icinga2
Description
Icinga 2 is an open source monitoring system. From 2.10.0 to before 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13, the safe-reload script (also used during systemctl reload icinga2) and logrotate configuration shipped with Icinga 2 read the PID of the main Icinga 2 process from a PID file writable by the daemon user, but send the signal as the root user. This can allow the Icinga user to send signals to processes it would otherwise not permitted to. A fix is included in the following Icinga 2 versions: 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13.
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-61909 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-250 (Execution with Unnecessary Privileges) affecting the Icinga 2 open-source monitoring system. Specifically, versions from 2.10.0 up to but not including 2.13.13, 2.14.7, and 2.15.1 contain a flaw in the safe-reload script and logrotate configuration. These components read the PID of the main Icinga 2 process from a PID file that is writable by the daemon user. However, when sending signals to this PID, the operation is performed with root privileges. This design flaw allows the Icinga daemon user to send signals to processes it normally would not have permission to interact with, potentially enabling unauthorized process control or privilege escalation. The vulnerability does not require user interaction but does require that the attacker has daemon-level privileges on the system. The CVSS v4.0 score is 4.0 (medium severity), reflecting limited impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability but acknowledging the risk of privilege misuse. No public exploits have been reported, but the vulnerability is considered significant enough to warrant patching. The issue is resolved in Icinga 2 versions 2.15.1, 2.14.7, and 2.13.13, which correct the PID file handling and signal sending mechanism to prevent unauthorized signaling. Organizations relying on Icinga 2 for monitoring should assess their versions and apply updates promptly to avoid potential exploitation.
Potential Impact
The primary impact of CVE-2025-61909 is the potential for privilege escalation or unauthorized process control within systems running vulnerable versions of Icinga 2. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability, it allows the Icinga daemon user to send signals as root to arbitrary processes, which could be leveraged by an attacker with daemon-level access to disrupt monitoring services, interfere with other critical processes, or escalate privileges. For European organizations, especially those in critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, telecommunications, finance, and government, this could lead to operational disruptions or serve as a stepping stone for further attacks. The risk is heightened in environments where Icinga 2 is deployed with elevated privileges and where daemon user access is not tightly controlled. Although no known exploits are currently in the wild, the vulnerability's presence in widely used monitoring software makes it a potential target for attackers seeking to exploit privilege misconfigurations. Failure to patch could expose organizations to insider threats or lateral movement within networks.
Mitigation Recommendations
1. Upgrade Icinga 2 to the fixed versions: 2.15.1, 2.14.7, or 2.13.13 as soon as possible to eliminate the vulnerability. 2. Restrict write permissions on the PID file to prevent unauthorized modification by the daemon user or other non-privileged accounts. 3. Review and harden the permissions and ownership of scripts and configuration files related to safe-reload and logrotate to ensure they do not allow privilege escalation. 4. Implement strict access controls and monitoring for the Icinga daemon user to detect any unusual signaling or process interactions. 5. Use system-level security mechanisms such as SELinux or AppArmor to confine the Icinga daemon's capabilities and limit its ability to send signals to unrelated processes. 6. Conduct regular audits of monitoring infrastructure and ensure that only trusted administrators have daemon-level access. 7. Monitor logs for suspicious reload or signal activities that could indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. 8. Incorporate this vulnerability into vulnerability management and patching workflows to ensure timely remediation.
Affected Countries
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2025-10-03T22:21:59.614Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 68f12ee39f8a5dbaeaee6018
Added to database: 10/16/2025, 5:44:03 PM
Last enriched: 10/16/2025, 5:59:19 PM
Last updated: 10/19/2025, 7:41:37 AM
Views: 21
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