CVE-2023-0594
📋 TL;DR
Grafana has a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the trace view visualization that allows attackers with Editor role to inject malicious JavaScript. When an Admin user views a dashboard containing the malicious trace visualization, the attacker can potentially change the Admin's password and escalate privileges. This affects Grafana installations from version 7.0 onward.
💻 Affected Systems
- Grafana
📦 What is this software?
Grafana by Grafana
Grafana by Grafana
Grafana by Grafana
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker with Editor privileges can change an Admin user's password, take over the Admin account, and gain full control of the Grafana instance, potentially leading to data theft, system compromise, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
An Editor user exploits the vulnerability to escalate to Admin privileges, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive monitoring data and administrative functions.
If Mitigated
With proper role separation and monitoring, exploitation would be detected and contained before significant damage occurs.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires Editor role access and knowledge of target Admin user's username. The vulnerability is in stored XSS, making it persistent.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.5.21, 9.2.13, or 9.3.8
Vendor Advisory: https://grafana.com/security/security-advisories/cve-2023-0594/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Identify your Grafana version. 2. Upgrade to 8.5.21, 9.2.13, or 9.3.8 based on your current branch. 3. Restart Grafana service. 4. Verify the upgrade was successful.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable trace view visualization
allRemove or disable trace view visualizations from dashboards to prevent exploitation.
Restrict Editor role access
allLimit Editor role assignments to trusted users only and implement principle of least privilege.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict role-based access control and audit Editor role activities
- Use web application firewalls (WAF) with XSS protection rules
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Grafana version using the web interface or command line. If version is between 7.0.0-8.5.20, 9.0.0-9.2.12, or 9.3.0-9.3.7, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
grafana-server -vVerify Fix Applied:
After upgrading, verify the version is 8.5.21, 9.2.13, or 9.3.8 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual modifications to trace view visualizations by Editor users
- Multiple failed login attempts followed by successful Admin login from unusual location
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests containing JavaScript payloads in trace view parameters
SIEM Query:
source="grafana" AND (event="dashboard_updated" OR event="visualization_modified") AND user_role="Editor"