CVE-2021-22151Network attack vector

Authenticated file disclosure via unvalidated .pbf path

Published Nov 22, 2023 · Updated Oct 11, 2024

Path traversal in Elastic Kibana 7.9.0 through 7.14.0 allows remote authenticated users to read internal .pbf files. The .pbf file loader accepts a user-supplied path without restricting traversal outside its intended directory; Elastic does not identify the handler. A low-privileged Kibana account and a crafted network request are required, and disclosure is limited to host files whose names end in .pbf.

CVSS severity3.1
Low
EPSS probability0.70%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in Elastic Kibana 7.9.0 through 7.14.0 allows remote authenticated users to read internal .pbf files. The .pbf file loader accepts a user-supplied path without restricting traversal outside its intended directory; Elastic does not identify the handler. A low-privileged Kibana account and a crafted network request are required, and disclosure is limited to host files whose names end in .pbf.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-22151
Published
Nov 22, 2023
Updated
Oct 11, 2024
Vendor
Elastic
Product
Kibana
Classifications
CWE-22, T1005
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 22, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 11, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=7.9.0 <7.14.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Elastic · Kibanaversion=7.9.0 <7.14.0

Published CVSS scores

4.3NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
3.1ElasticCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1005Data from Local System

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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