CVE-2025-25017
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Kibana where improper input sanitization during web page generation allows attackers to inject malicious scripts. The vulnerability affects Kibana instances accessible to users who can interact with the web interface. Successful exploitation could lead to session hijacking, data theft, or unauthorized actions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kibana
📦 What is this software?
Kibana by Elastic
Kibana by Elastic
Kibana by Elastic
Kibana by Elastic
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers could steal authentication cookies, hijack user sessions, perform actions as authenticated users, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially compromising the entire Kibana environment and associated data.
Likely Case
Attackers inject malicious JavaScript to steal session tokens or credentials, leading to unauthorized access to Kibana dashboards and potentially the underlying Elasticsearch data.
If Mitigated
With proper input validation and output encoding, the risk is reduced to minimal, though the vulnerability still exists in unpatched systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
XSS vulnerabilities typically require user interaction or specific conditions to trigger, but exploitation is straightforward once the attack vector is identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 8.18.8, 8.19.4, 9.0.7, or 9.1.4
Vendor Advisory: https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-8-18-8-8-19-4-9-0-7-9-1-4-security-update-esa-2025-16/382450
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the patched version from Elastic's official repository. 2. Backup your Kibana configuration and data. 3. Stop the Kibana service. 4. Install the updated version. 5. Restart the Kibana service. 6. Verify the version and functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Content Security Policy (CSP)
allAdd CSP headers to restrict script execution from untrusted sources.
Add 'Content-Security-Policy' header in web server configuration or Kibana settings.
Input Validation Filter
allImplement additional input validation at the application or web server level.
Configure web application firewall (WAF) rules to filter malicious input patterns.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict Kibana access to trusted networks only using firewall rules.
- Implement strong authentication and session management controls.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Kibana version via web interface or command line; if version is below 8.18.8, 8.19.4, 9.0.7, or 9.1.4, it is vulnerable.Check Version:
curl -X GET 'http://localhost:5601/api/status' | grep versionVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify the version is updated to 8.18.8, 8.19.4, 9.0.7, or 9.1.4 and test for XSS by attempting to inject scripts in input fields.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual JavaScript payloads in Kibana access logs
- Multiple failed login attempts or session anomalies
Network Indicators:
- Suspicious HTTP requests containing script tags or JavaScript code to Kibana endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="kibana.log" AND ("<script>" OR "javascript:" OR "onerror=" OR "onload=")