Unauthenticated local-file disclosure via plugin path traversal
Published Dec 7, 2021 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Grafana 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0 allows remote attackers to read local files through a public plugin asset URL. The getPluginAssets handler cleans the requested path without first anchoring it to the plugin root, then joins attacker-controlled traversal segments to the plugin directory; the fix normalizes an absolute path, derives a relative path, and confines the join. No authentication or user interaction is required, so any network-reachable self-hosted instance can disclose files readable by the Grafana process; Grafana Cloud was not affected.
Summary
What happened
Grafana 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0 allows remote attackers to read local files through a public plugin asset URL. The getPluginAssets handler cleans the requested path without first anchoring it to the plugin root, then joins attacker-controlled traversal segments to the plugin directory; the fix normalizes an absolute path, derives a relative path, and confines the join. No authentication or user interaction is required, so any network-reachable self-hosted instance can disclose files readable by the Grafana process; Grafana Cloud was not affected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-43798
- Published
- Dec 7, 2021
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Grafana Labs
- Product
- Grafana
- Classifications
- CWE-22, T1083
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 7, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 21, 2025Record 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.
- Affected versionversion=>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.7
- Affected versionversion=>= 8.1.0, < 8.1.8
- Affected versionversion=>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.7
- Affected versionversion== 8.3.0
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
View daily counts
| Reporting day | Unique IPs |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 11, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 13, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 1 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Unavailable |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Unavailable |
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Grafana 8.3.0 Directory Traversal Arbitrary File Readproof of concept · unverified
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability listing for CVE-2021-43798known exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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