What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-26938?

CVE-2026-26938 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.6 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-26938?

Within 24 hours: Inventory all Kibana instances and their versions; isolate affected systems from untrusted networks if possible. Within 7 days: Implement network segmentation to restrict Kibana access to authorized users only; deploy WAF rules to block suspicious file access patterns; consider disabling vulnerable features if operationally feasible. Within 30 days: Upgrade to Kibana 9.4.0 or later when patch becomes available; conduct security audit of exposed systems for evidence of compromise.

Kibana CVE-2026-26938

HIGH

Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine (CWE-1336)

2026-02-26 security@elastic.co

SSRF Code Injection Elastic Kibana

8.6

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

Access

Authenticate to Kibana
Delivery

Access Workflows feature
Exploit

Inject malicious template syntax
Execution

Execute arbitrary code
Impact

Read filesystem or trigger SSRF

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-1336 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization Template injection prevention
Exploitation Conditions	Authenticated user account with workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege on Kibana instance with Workflows feature enabled. Template injection occurs within workflow execution context.
Impact	CVSS 8.6 (HIGH). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: None. Exploitation requires authentication.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	An attacker (requires authentication) could exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files from the Kibana server filesystem, and perform Server-Side.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).

No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Kibana versions up to 9.3.0 contains a vulnerability that allows attackers to read arbitrary files from the Kibana server filesystem, and perform Server-Side (CVSS 8.6).

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

affects Kibana. 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.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.6 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

None

Availability

None

DescriptionCVE.org

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.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Kibana versions up to 9.3.0 contain a critical vulnerability enabling attackers to read arbitrary files from the server, potentially exposing sensitive configuration data, credentials, and business intelligence. Without an available patch, organizations running affected versions face immediate risk of unauthorized data access and must implement interim protections or upgrade immediately.

Business Impact: High

Compensating Controls

Implement network access controls and WAF rules to restrict Kibana connectivity to authorized IP ranges and users; deploy intrusion detection signatures for exploitation attempts; enable comprehensive audit logging for all file access requests; consider running Kibana in a containerized environment with filesystem restrictions; restrict service account permissions to read-only access where possible; monitor for suspicious file enumeration activities.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.1%

Top 85% exploitable

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.1%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Yes

Human Impact

High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +43

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Server-Side Request Forgery HIGH

Server-Side Request Forgery exploits applications that fetch remote resources based on user-supplied URLs.

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.