CVE-2026-82302 in Kibana
Summary
by MITRE • 09/03/2026
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Kibana can lead to unauthorized configuration modification via Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels (CAPEC-180).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CWE-863 represents a fundamental failure in access control mechanisms within the Kibana application, specifically concerning the authorization of administrative and configuration-related actions. This flaw stems from an incorrect implementation or misconfiguration of security levels that govern user permissions, allowing actors who possess lower privilege levels to execute operations reserved for administrators. In enterprise environments where Kibana serves as a primary interface for visualizing data stored in Elasticsearch clusters, such discrepancies are particularly critical because they can compromise the integrity and availability of sensitive analytics infrastructure. The root cause typically involves insufficient validation of user roles during request processing, enabling attackers to bypass intended restrictions through standard HTTP requests that mimic legitimate administrative traffic.
Exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with CAPEC-180, which describes attacks leveraging incorrectly configured access control security levels. An attacker can exploit these misconfigurations by crafting specific API calls or manipulating session tokens to perform actions such as modifying dashboard settings, altering index patterns, or changing system-wide configurations without proper authentication checks. This type of attack does not require complex buffer overflows or injection techniques but rather relies on the application's failure to enforce strict separation between user roles and administrative privileges. By exploiting this gap, an adversary can effectively take control of the visualization layer, potentially leading to data exfiltration if sensitive dashboards are exposed or service disruption through destructive configuration changes.
The operational impact of such unauthorized modifications is severe in production environments where Kibana integrates with critical business intelligence workflows. Unauthorized access allows malicious actors to alter visualizations that may be used for real-time monitoring and incident response, thereby obscuring signs of compromise or creating false alerts to distract security teams. Furthermore, if the configuration changes involve connecting to external data sources or modifying authentication settings within Elasticsearch, it could lead to broader system-wide compromises. The attacker might also use this access to exfiltrate sensitive information displayed in dashboards that contain proprietary metrics, customer data, or internal network topology details, violating confidentiality requirements and potentially breaching regulatory compliance standards such as GDPR or HIPAA depending on the nature of the processed data.
Mitigation strategies must focus on reinforcing identity verification and enforcing strict role-based access control policies within both Kibana and its underlying Elasticsearch backend. Administrators should audit existing user roles to ensure that only designated personnel have permissions for configuration changes, adhering to the principle of least privilege by removing unnecessary elevated rights from standard users. It is essential to keep Kibana updated to the latest stable version where such authorization flaws are patched, as vendors frequently release security updates addressing these specific access control issues. Additionally, implementing network-level controls and web application firewalls can help detect anomalous patterns indicative of CAPEC-180 exploitation attempts by monitoring for unusual sequences of administrative API calls originating from non-administrator accounts. Regular penetration testing focused on authorization bypasses will further ensure that any residual misconfigurations are identified and corrected before they can be leveraged in a real-world attack scenario.