CVE-2021-22136 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A detailed overview of CVE-2021-22136 discussing the vulnerability found in Kibana versions before 7.12.0 and 6.8.15, impacting session timeout management.

Understanding CVE-2021-22136

This section provides insights into the nature of the CVE-2021-22136 vulnerability found in Elastic's Kibana.

What is CVE-2021-22136?

CVE-2021-22136 is a vulnerability in Kibana versions before 7.12.0 and 6.8.15, where the xpack.security.session.idleTimeout setting is not respected, leading to session extension beyond intended limits.

The Impact of CVE-2021-22136

The vulnerability allows background polling activities to unintentionally prolong authenticated user sessions, which prevents user sessions from timing out and poses a risk to session security.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-22136

In this section, we delve into the technical specifics of CVE-2021-22136 to understand the affected systems, exploitation mechanisms, and more.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in session timeout management in Kibana versions before 7.12.0 and 6.8.15 results in the xpack.security.session.idleTimeout setting not being enforced, causing user sessions to remain active longer than desired.

Affected Systems and Versions

Kibana versions prior to 7.12.0 and 6.8.15 are impacted by CVE-2021-22136 due to the improper handling of session timeouts, allowing authenticated user sessions to persist beyond the configured limits.

Exploitation Mechanism

Exploiting the vulnerability requires the presence of authenticated user sessions and involves triggering background polling activities that inadvertently extend session duration.

Mitigation and Prevention

This section outlines the steps users can take to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2021-22136 and prevent potential exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Users are advised to upgrade to Kibana versions 7.12.0 or 6.8.15 to address the session timeout issue and enforce proper session management protocols promptly.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implementing robust session expiration policies and regularly monitoring session activity can enhance the overall security posture and mitigate similar vulnerabilities in the future.

Patching and Updates

Regularly applying security patches and updates released by Elastic for Kibana is essential to ensure that known vulnerabilities, such as the one identified in CVE-2021-22136, are promptly addressed.