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Critical Kibana Vulnerability Report: Urgent Mitigation Needed for CVE-2025-25015

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Date: October 2023

Executive Summary

CVE-2025-25015 is a critical vulnerability discovered in Kibana, an open-source analytics and visualization platform commonly deployed in numerous sectors worldwide. This vulnerability, identified as a prototype pollution issue, facilitates arbitrary code execution and poses a serious threat to the integrity and security of data systems. With a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.9, this vulnerability ranks as critical and necessitates immediate attention and action. Organizations utilizing vulnerable versions of Kibana are urged to prioritize updates and implement recommended mitigation strategies to safeguard their systems.

Technical Information

The CVE-2025-25015 vulnerability is a direct consequence of the improper handling of object prototype attributes within Kibana. This flaw, categorized under CWE-1321, allows attackers to modify the JavaScript object prototype, leading to potential code execution risks. The exploitation vector is through a crafted file upload combined with specially crafted HTTP requests, enabling threat actors to execute arbitrary code within the Kibana environment. Affected versions include Kibana versions >= 8.15.0 and < 8.17.1, where users with the Viewer role are targeted, and versions 8.17.1 and 8.17.2, where exploitation is possible through roles with privileges like

fleet-all
,
integrations-all
, and
actions:execute-advanced-connectors
. The impact of this vulnerability extends to unauthorized access, potential data exfiltration, and service disruption, posing a significant risk to enterprise environments relying on Kibana's analytics capabilities.

Exploitation in the Wild

Currently, there are no confirmed reports of active exploitation or publicly available exploits for CVE-2025-25015. Nonetheless, organizations must remain vigilant, as the absence of known exploitations does not negate the risk of future attacks. Monitoring for unusual activity, such as anomalous file uploads and HTTP requests, could provide early indicators of exploitation attempts.

APT Groups using this vulnerability

As of the latest available data, no Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups have been identified as exploiting CVE-2025-25015. However, given the critical nature of this vulnerability, it is imperative for organizations to stay informed on emerging threat intelligence and maintain an active defense posture.

Affected Product Versions

The vulnerability affects Kibana versions starting from 8.15.0 up to but not including 8.17.1, specifically targeting users with the Viewer role. Additionally, Kibana versions 8.17.1 and 8.17.2 can be exploited by users with roles that include privileges such as

fleet-all
,
integrations-all
, and
actions:execute-advanced-connectors
. Organizations using these versions should take immediate action to secure their installations.

Workaround and Mitigation

The primary recommendation for mitigating CVE-2025-25015 is to upgrade to Kibana version 8.17.3, where the vulnerability has been resolved. For those who are temporarily unable to upgrade, a configuration change by setting

xpack.integration_assistant.enabled: false
in Kibana's configuration is advised as a defensive measure. This approach should be considered a temporary workaround until a full upgrade can be implemented.

References

For more detailed information, please refer to the NVD CVE-2025-25015 Detail and the Elastic Kibana Security Update. These resources provide comprehensive insights and technical specifics essential for understanding and addressing this critical vulnerability.

Rescana is here for you

At Rescana, we are committed to helping our clients navigate the complexities of cybersecurity threats. Our Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) platform is designed to assist organizations in identifying and mitigating risks associated with third-party software and services. Should you have any questions regarding this report or other cybersecurity concerns, our team is ready to assist you. Please reach out to us at ops@rescana.com for support.

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