CVE-2017-8451 in Kibana
Summary
by MITRE
With X-Pack installed, Kibana versions before 5.3.1 have an open redirect vulnerability on the login page that would enable an attacker to craft a link that redirects to an arbitrary website.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8451 represents a critical open redirect flaw within the Kibana web interface when X-Pack security features are enabled. This issue specifically affects Kibana versions prior to 5.3.1 and manifests on the login page where attackers can exploit the lack of proper input validation to construct malicious links that redirect users to arbitrary external websites. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of redirect parameters that are used to determine where users should be directed after successful authentication. This flaw creates a significant security risk as it can be leveraged in phishing attacks where users are tricked into believing they are logging into a legitimate Kibana instance while actually being redirected to a malicious site controlled by threat actors. The open redirect vulnerability allows attackers to bypass normal security controls and potentially harvest credentials or sensitive information from unsuspecting users who follow the crafted links.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the authentication flow logic within Kibana's web application layer where redirect URLs are processed without adequate validation. When users attempt to access protected resources or are redirected after login attempts, the system accepts redirect parameters directly from user input without proper sanitization or verification against a whitelist of allowed domains. This pattern of insecure redirect handling aligns with CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability classification, which specifically addresses situations where web applications fail to validate redirect destinations, allowing attackers to redirect users to malicious sites. The flaw operates at the application logic level rather than at the network or infrastructure layer, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through social engineering techniques without requiring direct system compromise. Attackers can craft URLs that appear legitimate by embedding them in emails, web pages, or other communication channels, making the attack vector more insidious and difficult to detect.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-8451 extends beyond simple redirection attacks and can enable more sophisticated compromise techniques within the broader attack chain. Organizations using affected Kibana versions face elevated risk of credential theft, as users may be redirected to phishing sites designed to capture authentication credentials. The vulnerability can also facilitate the delivery of malware through malicious redirects, where users are unknowingly directed to sites hosting exploit code or other malicious payloads. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability provides a low-effort entry point that can be combined with other attack vectors to establish persistent access within the target environment. The open redirect mechanism can be exploited in conjunction with other techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the Initial Access category, specifically leveraging social engineering and credential harvesting tactics to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and systems. The impact is particularly severe in enterprise environments where Kibana serves as a central monitoring and analytics platform, as compromise of the authentication flow can provide attackers with access to critical operational data and system insights.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Kibana version 5.3.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as this represents the official patch release addressing the open redirect flaw. System administrators should also implement additional security measures including network-level controls to monitor and restrict outbound connections from the Kibana server, and deploy web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious redirect patterns. Regular security assessments should include verification that redirect parameters are properly validated and that only trusted domains are permitted in redirect chains. The mitigation strategy should also encompass user education initiatives to help personnel recognize potential phishing attempts and suspicious links that may exploit this vulnerability. Organizations should conduct thorough testing of the patched version to ensure that legitimate redirect functionality continues to operate correctly while the security vulnerability is eliminated. Additional monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual redirect patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and incident response procedures should be updated to include specific handling of open redirect attacks targeting authentication systems.