CVE-2022-46156 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability has been identified in Grafana's default installation of

synthetic-monitoring-agent

that exposes sensitive information through a debugging endpoint.

Understanding CVE-2022-46156

This CVE affects users running the Synthetic Monitoring Agent in their local network prior to version 0.12.0, allowing exposure of the authentication token used to communicate with the Synthetic Monitoring API.

What is CVE-2022-46156?

The Synthetic Monitoring Agent for Grafana's Synthetic Monitoring application provides probe functionality and executes network checks for monitoring remote targets. Users running the agent before version 0.12.0 are impacted by the exposure of the authentication token through a debugging endpoint.

The Impact of CVE-2022-46156

The exposed token can be used to retrieve the user's Synthetic Monitoring checks assigned to the agent. Although access to the token does not guarantee access to the checks due to API restrictions, there is a risk of unauthorized access.

Technical Details of CVE-2022-46156

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-489 and CWE-749 and has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2, indicating a high severity issue.

Vulnerability Description

The authentication token used for communication with the Synthetic Monitoring API is exposed through a debugging endpoint, potentially leading to unauthorized access to user's checks.

Affected Systems and Versions

Users running Grafana's

synthetic-monitoring-agent

version < 0.12.0 are vulnerable to this issue.

Exploitation Mechanism

By leveraging the exposed authentication token, threat actors could potentially retrieve the Synthetic Monitoring checks assigned to the agent, although access to the checks is restricted by the API.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial for affected users to take immediate steps to secure their environments and prevent potential exploitation.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade to version 0.12.0 or later of the Synthetic Monitoring Agent to apply the necessary patch and mitigate the vulnerability.
Rotate the agent tokens to ensure security of the Synthetic Monitoring checks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Periodically review configuration settings, especially the

API_TOKEN

variable, and follow secure coding practices to prevent similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

After upgrading to version v0.12.0 or later, review the

synthetic-monitoring-agent.conf

configuration file to ensure the

API_TOKEN

variable has been renamed to

SM_AGENT_API_TOKEN

. Additionally, configure the HTTP listening address to limit exposure, such as setting it to localhost or a non-routed network.