📄 Description (English)
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine (CWE-1336) exists in Workflows in Kibana which could allow an attacker to read arbitrary files from the Kibana server filesystem, and perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Code Injection (CAPEC-242). This requires an authenticated user who has the workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
CVE-2026-26938 is a high-severity template injection vulnerability in Kibana 9.3.0 that allows authenticated users with workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege to read arbitrary files and perform SSRF attacks. While no public exploit exists, the vulnerability requires only valid credentials and specific permissions, making it a significant risk for organizations using Kibana in their security infrastructure. Immediate patching is critical for Saudi organizations relying on Kibana for log analysis and threat detection.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 24, 2026 02:50
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability poses significant risk to Saudi financial institutions (SAMA-regulated banks), government agencies (NCA, NCSC), and critical infrastructure operators (ARAMCO, SEC) that use Kibana for centralized log management and security monitoring. Compromised Kibana instances could expose sensitive operational data, customer information, and internal communications. Energy sector organizations and telecommunications providers (STC, Mobily) are particularly vulnerable as they rely heavily on Kibana for SIEM and threat detection. The ability to perform SSRF attacks could enable lateral movement within critical infrastructure networks.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Energy and Utilities
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Critical Infrastructure
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
7.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS:
1. Identify all Kibana 9.3.0 instances in your environment and document their criticality level
2. Audit users with workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege and restrict to essential personnel only
3. Implement network segmentation to limit Kibana server outbound connectivity
4. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all workflow executions
PATCHING:
1. Upgrade Kibana to version 9.3.1 or later immediately
2. Test patches in non-production environments first
3. Coordinate with dependent systems (Elasticsearch, Beats) for compatibility
4. Plan maintenance windows with minimal business impact
COMPENSATING CONTROLS (if immediate patching not possible):
1. Restrict workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow role to trusted administrators only
2. Implement IP whitelisting for Kibana access
3. Deploy WAF rules to detect template injection patterns
4. Monitor for suspicious workflow executions and file access patterns
DETECTION:
1. Monitor Kibana logs for workflow execution errors containing template syntax
2. Alert on any file read operations from Kibana process
3. Track outbound connections from Kibana servers to unexpected destinations
4. Implement YARA rules: detect ${} or {{}} patterns in workflow parameters
5. Monitor for privilege escalation attempts targeting workflowsManagement role
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. حدد جميع مثيلات Kibana 9.3.0 في بيئتك وتوثيق مستوى أهميتها
2. تدقيق المستخدمين الذين لديهم امتياز workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow وتقييد الوصول للموظفين الأساسيين فقط
3. تنفيذ تقسيم الشبكة لتحديد الاتصالات الخارجة من خادم Kibana
4. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع عمليات سير العمل
التصحيح:
1. ترقية Kibana إلى الإصدار 9.3.1 أو أحدث فوراً
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات غير الإنتاج أولاً
3. التنسيق مع الأنظمة التابعة (Elasticsearch, Beats) للتوافقية
4. تخطيط نوافذ الصيانة بأقل تأثير على العمل
الضوابط البديلة (إذا لم يكن التصحيح الفوري ممكناً):
1. تقييد دور workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow للمسؤولين الموثوقين فقط
2. تنفيذ قائمة بيضاء IP لوصول Kibana
3. نشر قواعد WAF للكشف عن أنماط حقن القوالب
4. مراقبة عمليات سير العمل المريبة وأنماط الوصول إلى الملفات
الكشف:
1. مراقبة سجلات Kibana لأخطاء تنفيذ سير العمل التي تحتوي على بناء جملة القالب
2. تنبيه على أي عمليات قراءة ملفات من عملية Kibana
3. تتبع الاتصالات الخارجة من خوادم Kibana إلى وجهات غير متوقعة
4. تنفيذ قواعد YARA: الكشف عن أنماط ${} أو {{}} في معاملات سير العمل
5. مراقبة محاولات تصعيد الامتيازات التي تستهدف دور workflowsManagement
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.5.1.1 - Access Control Policies
ECC 2024 A.5.2.1 - User Registration and De-registration
ECC 2024 A.5.3.1 - Privileged Access Rights
ECC 2024 A.8.2.1 - Classification of Information
ECC 2024 A.8.3.2 - Handling of Assets
ECC 2024 A.12.4.1 - Event Logging
ECC 2024 A.12.4.3 - Administrator and Operator Logs
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.AM-2 - Software Inventory
SAMA CSF PR.AC-1 - Access Control Policy
SAMA CSF PR.AC-4 - Access Rights Management
SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - System Monitoring
SAMA CSF DE.CM-3 - Unauthorized Software Detection
SAMA CSF RS.AN-1 - Characterization of Incident
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.3 - Segregation of Duties
ISO 27001:2022 A.6.2 - User Access Management
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User Endpoint Devices
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Cryptography
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.4 - Logging
ISO 27001:2022 A.14.2 - Development Security
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 2.1 - Configuration Standards
PCI DSS 6.2 - Security Patches
PCI DSS 7.1 - Access Control Implementation
PCI DSS 10.2 - User Access Logging
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
elastic:kibana:9.3.0