CVE-2021-28148 : Security Advisory and Response

A denial of service (DoS) vulnerability has been discovered in Grafana Enterprise versions 6.x before 6.7.6, 7.x before 7.3.10, and 7.4.x before 7.4.5. This vulnerability allows unauthenticated users to flood an HTTP API endpoint with unlimited requests.

Understanding CVE-2021-28148

This section will cover the key details regarding CVE-2021-28148.

What is CVE-2021-28148?

The CVE-2021-28148 vulnerability affects Grafana Enterprise instances by enabling unauthenticated users to inundate a specific API endpoint with an unlimited number of requests. This can lead to a denial of service (DoS) attack on the affected Grafana Enterprise versions.

The Impact of CVE-2021-28148

The impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows malicious actors to disrupt the availability of Grafana Enterprise instances by overloading them with a high volume of requests. This could potentially lead to service downtime and hinder normal operations.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-28148

In this section, we will delve into the technical aspects of CVE-2021-28148.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability arises from certain usage insights HTTP API endpoints in Grafana Enterprise versions 6.x, 7.x, and 7.4.x being accessible without requiring any authentication. This oversight allows unauthorized users to exploit the endpoint by sending an excessive number of requests, resulting in a DoS condition.

Affected Systems and Versions

Grafana Enterprise versions 6.x before 6.7.6, 7.x before 7.3.10, and 7.4.x before 7.4.5 are impacted by this vulnerability. Users operating these versions are advised to take immediate action to mitigate the risk.

Exploitation Mechanism

By leveraging the accessibility of the specific API endpoint without authentication, threat actors can launch a DoS attack by flooding the endpoint with a high volume of requests, thereby exhausting the resources of the Grafana Enterprise instance.

Mitigation and Prevention

In this section, we will explore the steps to mitigate and prevent CVE-2021-28148.

Immediate Steps to Take

It is recommended to update affected Grafana Enterprise instances to versions 6.7.6, 7.3.10, or 7.4.5, which contain security fixes addressing this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level controls to mitigate potential DoS attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

To enhance the overall security posture, organizations should enforce strict access controls, regularly monitor network traffic for anomalies, and conduct security assessments to identify and patch vulnerabilities proactively.

Patching and Updates

Staying updated with the latest security patches and software updates is crucial to protect against known vulnerabilities. Organizations should prioritize the timely application of patches provided by Grafana for their Enterprise instances.