CVE-2018-17245 : What You Need to Know

Kibana versions 4.0 to 4.6, 5.0 to 5.6.12, and 6.0 to 6.4.2 have a vulnerability related to the handling of authorization credentials during the generation of PDF reports, potentially exposing plaintext credentials in HTTP requests.

Understanding CVE-2018-17245

This CVE identifies a security issue in Kibana versions that could lead to information exposure through sent data.

What is CVE-2018-17245?

The vulnerability in Kibana versions 4.0 to 4.6, 5.0 to 5.6.12, and 6.0 to 6.4.2 allows plaintext credentials to be included in HTTP requests when generating PDF reports, making them susceptible to potential recovery by external resource providers.

The Impact of CVE-2018-17245

The vulnerability could result in unauthorized access to sensitive information, compromising the security and confidentiality of data handled by affected Kibana instances.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-17245

This section provides more in-depth technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability stems from the improper handling of authorization credentials during the PDF report generation process in Kibana versions specified.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Kibana
Vendor: Elastic
Versions Affected: 4.0 to 4.6, 5.0 to 5.6.12, and 6.0 to 6.4.2

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability occurs when reports require external resources, leading to plaintext credentials being exposed in HTTP requests.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2018-17245 is crucial to maintaining security.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade Kibana to a patched version that addresses the vulnerability.
Avoid generating PDF reports that require external resources.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement secure credential handling practices.
Regularly monitor and audit access to sensitive data.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates from Elastic and apply patches promptly to mitigate risks.