CVE-2022-38778 in Kibana
Summary
by MITRE • 02/08/2023
A flaw (CVE-2022-38900) was discovered in one of Kibana’s third party dependencies, that could allow an authenticated user to perform a request that crashes the Kibana server process.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-38778 represents a critical security flaw within the Kibana platform that stems from a weakness in one of its third-party dependencies. This issue specifically affects the Elasticsearch ecosystem where Kibana serves as the primary user interface for data visualization and analysis. The vulnerability manifests when an authenticated user leverages a particular request pattern that triggers a crash in the Kibana server process, effectively causing a denial of service condition that disrupts legitimate user access to the platform's analytical capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a specific request structure that exploits an underlying flaw in the dependency component, typically related to improper input validation or memory handling within the third-party library. When an authenticated user crafts and submits a malicious request that targets this particular dependency, the system fails to properly handle the request parameters, leading to an uncontrolled crash of the Kibana server process. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and may also involve elements of CWE-476, concerning null pointer dereference vulnerabilities. The flaw operates at the intersection of application-level request processing and system-level resource management, creating a pathway for an authenticated attacker to disrupt service availability.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-38778 extends beyond simple service disruption as it represents a significant threat to the availability and reliability of critical data analysis platforms within organizations. When the Kibana server crashes, it affects not only the immediate user experience but also potentially impacts downstream systems that depend on Kibana for data visualization and monitoring. The authenticated nature of the attack means that only users with valid credentials can exploit this vulnerability, reducing the attack surface but not eliminating the risk entirely since credential compromise remains a common threat vector. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers "Toggle Service State" and "Denial of Service" through system process manipulation, and may also relate to T1566.001 for initial access through credential compromise.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from the vendor that address the specific dependency flaw, implementing network-level restrictions to limit access to Kibana to trusted IP ranges, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect anomalous request patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough access reviews to ensure that only necessary personnel have authentication credentials for Kibana systems. The remediation process should involve verifying that the patched dependency version resolves the specific crash condition while ensuring that no regression issues are introduced into the broader Kibana functionality. Regular security assessments of third-party dependencies should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities that may exist within other components of the software stack, as this type of vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks associated with complex software ecosystems that rely heavily on external libraries and frameworks.