Overview
CVE-2024-43706 is a critical vulnerability discovered in Kibana, a popular open-source data visualization and exploration tool used with Elasticsearch. This vulnerability stems from improper authorization that allows for privilege abuse through direct HTTP requests to certain endpoints. It poses a significant risk to any system running vulnerable versions of Kibana, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2024-43706
Severity: High (7.6 CVSS)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Impact: Unauthorized access, potential system compromise, and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Kibana | All versions prior to patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit takes advantage of an improper authorization flaw in Kibana. An attacker can send a direct HTTP request to a Synthetic monitor endpoint without the necessary privileges. This allows the attacker to bypass security restrictions and potentially escalate their privileges, leading to unauthorized access, system compromise, or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Based on the vulnerability’s nature, an attacker might exploit it using a malicious HTTP request similar to this:
GET /api/synthetics/monitor HTTP/1.1
Host: target.example.com
This example is simplified and conceptual, but it illustrates how an unauthorized request might be made to a Synthetic monitor endpoint. Real-world exploits may involve more complex payloads and techniques.
Mitigation Guidance
The best mitigation for this vulnerability is applying the vendor’s patch, which addresses the improper authorization issue. If unable to apply the patch immediately, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can offer temporary mitigation by blocking or alerting on suspicious requests to the Synthetic monitor endpoint. Regularly reviewing and updating security configurations to align with best practices can also help prevent this type of vulnerability.

