dbcve.org
KibanaApplication · Elastic

CVE-2020-27816

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.7 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The elasticsearch-operator does not validate the namespace where kibana logging resource is created and due to that it is possible to replace the original openshift-logging console link (kibana console) to different one, created based on the new CR for the new kibana resource. This could lead to an arbitrary URL redirection or the openshift-logging console link damage. This flaw affects elasticsearch-operator-container versions before 4.7.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The elasticsearch-operator fails to validate the target namespace when creating kibana logging resources. This allows an attacker to create or modify kibana CRs in the openshift-logging namespace, replacing the legitimate kibana console link with a malicious one, resulting in arbitrary URL redirection or denial of the logging console access.

MitigationUpgrade elasticsearch-operator-container to version 4.7 or later which includes namespace validation for kibana logging resources.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
KibanaApplication
Affected:<= 4.7
Openshift Container PlatformApplication
Affected:= 4.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify elasticsearch-operator version
    Run 'kubectl get deployment -n openshift-operators elasticsearch-operator -o jsonpath={.spec.template.spec.containers[0].image}' to get the operator image, then check the operator version from the image tag or run 'kubectl get csv -n openshift-operators -o jsonpath={.items[?(@.spec.displayName=="Elasticsearch Operator")].spec.version}'
    Affected if The operator version is 4.7 or lower (or if the image tag cannot be determined and the operator is from the 4.x family before the fix)
  2. Verify kibana CRs exist in openshift-logging namespace
    Run 'kubectl get kibana -n openshift-logging' to list all kibana custom resources in the openshift-logging namespace
    Affected if Any kibana CRs exist in the openshift-logging namespace (the vulnerability allows unauthorized modification of CRs in this namespace)
  3. Inspect kibana CR console link configuration
    Run 'kubectl get kibana -n openshift-logging -o yaml' and examine the spec for consoleLink or any URL configuration fields; verify the console links point to expected destinations
    Affected if The kibana CR shows a consoleLink field with a URL that was not intentionally configured by the administrator, or shows an unexpected/redirection URL
  4. Check operator RBAC and namespace permissions
    Run 'kubectl get clusterrole elasticsearch-operator -o yaml' and inspect the verbs and resources in the rules section, specifically looking at whether the operator has unrestricted access to kibana resources across all namespaces
    Affected if The operator has broad kibana create/update permissions across namespaces without namespace validation logic present in the operator code or configuration

A user is affected if the elasticsearch-operator version is 4.7 or earlier AND kibana CRs exist in the openshift-logging namespace that could be or have been modified without proper namespace validation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade elasticsearch-operator-container to version 4.7 or later which includes namespace validation for kibana logging resources.

Fix this in Kibana Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27816 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-27816 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data