dbcve.org
KibanaApplication · Elastic

CVE-2023-31414

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.7.0 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
Kibana versions 8.0.0 through 8.7.0 contain an arbitrary code execution flaw. An attacker with write access to Kibana yaml or env configuration could add a specific payload that will attempt to execute JavaScript code. This could lead to the attacker executing arbitrary commands on the host system with permissions of the Kibana process.

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

Kibana versions 8.0.0-8.7.0 contain an arbitrary code execution vulnerability where an attacker with write access to Kibana yaml or env configuration files can inject a malicious JavaScript payload that executes with the privileges of the Kibana process, leading to host command execution.

MitigationUpgrade Kibana to version 8.8.0 or later. Additionally, restrict write access to Kibana configuration files to trusted personnel only and audit existing configurations for suspicious modifications.

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:>= 8.0.0, <= 8.7.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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 installed Kibana version
    Run 'kibana --version' or check the version field in the Kibana welcome screen. Alternatively, query the Kibana API endpoint: GET /api/status and look for the 'build.number' field in the version object.
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 8.0.0 and <= 8.7.0.
  2. Locate Kibana configuration files
    Find kibana.yml (or kibana.yaml) and .env files. Common paths include /etc/kibana/, /opt/kibana/config/, or the Kibana data directory. Also check for any custom config paths specified via the KIBANA_CONFIG_PATH environment variable.
    Affected if Configuration files exist and are readable/writable by the Kibana process or potentially by unauthorized users.
  3. Check file permissions on Kibana yaml configuration
    Run 'ls -la /etc/kibana/kibana.yml' (or your actual config path) and verify owner, group, and permissions. Ensure only the Kibana user and trusted administrators have write access.
    Affected if The kibana.yml file is writable by users other than the Kibana owner or root, indicating overly permissive access controls.
  4. Inspect kibana.yml for suspicious content
    Open the kibana.yml file and search for unexpected or base64-encoded strings in any settings, particularly in fields that could contain JavaScript or command injection payloads such as csp, ops.cGroupOverrides, orops.osProxyTimeout.
    Affected if The configuration contains suspicious JavaScript-like code, encoded strings, or unexpected command execution patterns in configuration values.
  5. Check for unauthorized modifications to environment files
    Examine any .env files in the Kibana directory or referenced via environment variables. Compare file timestamps against expected change dates and review for injected environment variables that could contain payloads.
    Affected if Environment files contain unexpected variables with long encoded values or commands that resemble injection attempts.

You are affected if Kibana version is 8.0.0 through 8.7.0 AND configuration files have overly permissive write access OR contain suspicious injected content.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.7.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Kibana to version 8.8.0 or later. Additionally, restrict write access to Kibana configuration files to trusted personnel only and audit existing configurations for suspicious modifications.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Kibana 8.7.1 or later

  1. 1. Back up your current Kibana configuration files (kibana.yml and any environment configurations)
  2. 2. Download Kibana version 8.7.1 or later from the official Elastic downloads page (www.elastic.co/downloads/kibana)
  3. 3. Stop the Kibana service
  4. 4. Replace the Kibana installation directory with the new version
  5. 5. Restore your backed-up configuration files
  6. 6. Start the Kibana service
  7. 7. Verify Kibana is running correctly and the version is updated
Caveat Review Elastic Stack 8.7.1 release notes for any configuration or feature changes before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Kibana Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.

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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-2023-31414 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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