CVE-2021-37938Network attack vector

Authenticated file disclosure via unvalidated PBF path

Published Nov 18, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Path traversal in Elastic Kibana 7.9.0 through 7.15.1 allows remote authenticated users to read host files ending in .pbf. On Windows, the PBF-loading path accepts a user-supplied pathname without validation, allowing directory traversal outside the intended location. A low-privileged Kibana account and network access to the affected feature are required, and disclosure is limited to files with the .pbf extension.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.72%
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 7.15.1 allows remote authenticated users to read host files ending in .pbf. On Windows, the PBF-loading path accepts a user-supplied pathname without validation, allowing directory traversal outside the intended location. A low-privileged Kibana account and network access to the affected feature are required, and disclosure is limited to files with the .pbf extension.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-37938
Published
Nov 18, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Elastic
Product
Kibana
Classifications
CWE-22, CWE-269, T1005
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Nov 18, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 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=All versions from 7.9.0 through 7.15.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Elastic · Kibanaversion=All versions from 7.9.0 through 7.15.1

Published CVSS scores

4.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N
4.3NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 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')
CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
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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