CVE-2022-23713 in Elastic
Summary
by MITRE • 07/06/2022
A cross-site-scripting (XSS) vulnerability was discovered in the Vega Charts Kibana integration which could allow arbitrary JavaScript to be executed in a victim’s browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/19/2022
The CVE-2022-23713 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site-scripting flaw within the Vega Charts Kibana integration component that poses significant security risks to organizations utilizing Elasticsearch and Kibana platforms. This vulnerability specifically affects the visualization capabilities of Kibana when integrating with Vega Charts, creating an attack vector that enables malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the Vega Charts integration module. When Kibana processes chart configurations or data inputs that contain malicious script payloads, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape these inputs before rendering them in the browser environment. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious chart configurations that, when viewed by authenticated users, execute unintended JavaScript code. The vulnerability manifests when user-supplied data or configuration parameters are directly incorporated into the chart rendering process without proper security sanitization measures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete browser compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability could potentially steal user sessions, access confidential information displayed in Kibana dashboards, manipulate data visualizations, or redirect users to malicious websites. The risk is particularly elevated in environments where Kibana serves as a central monitoring and analytics platform, as it often contains access to critical system metrics, security logs, and operational data that could be leveraged for further attacks within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by Elastic, as this vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which is a fundamental web application security weakness. The attack surface is further expanded by the fact that this vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including crafted dashboard configurations, malicious data imports, or even through compromised data sources that feed into the visualization layer. Security teams should implement additional monitoring for suspicious chart configurations and user behavior patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate patch deployment, implementation of web application firewalls with XSS detection capabilities, and enhanced input validation controls within the Kibana environment. Organizations should also consider restricting user permissions for chart creation and data import functionalities, implementing content security policies, and establishing regular security assessments of visualization components. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 - Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers may exploit this flaw through malicious chart files or data imports delivered via email or compromised collaboration platforms. Additionally, this issue demonstrates the importance of securing data visualization tools as they often serve as attack entry points in security monitoring environments, making it crucial for security teams to treat dashboard and visualization components with the same rigor as core application functionality.