How severe is CVE-2021-37938?

CVE-2021-37938 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2021-37938 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (49th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-37938?

CVE-2021-37938 affects Elastic Kibana. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-37938?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-37938 published?

CVE-2021-37938 was published on 2021-11-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-37938

CVE-2021-37938 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Kibana with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-22.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.3)
CVSS v2: 4.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (49th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-22
Affected product: Elastic Kibana
Published: 2021-11-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

It was discovered that on Windows operating systems specifically, Kibana was not validating a user supplied path, which would load .pbf files. Because of this, a malicious user could arbitrarily traverse the Kibana host to load internal files ending in the .pbf extension. Thanks to Dominic Couture for finding this vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-37938?: It was discovered that on Windows operating systems specifically, Kibana was not validating a user supplied path, which would load .pbf files. Because of this, a malicious user could arbitrarily traverse the Kibana host to load internal files ending in the .pbf extension. Thanks to Dominic Couture for finding this vulnerability.
How severe is CVE-2021-37938?: CVE-2021-37938 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.3, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-37938 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (49th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-37938?: CVE-2021-37938 affects Elastic Kibana. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-37938?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-37938 published?: CVE-2021-37938 was published on 2021-11-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-7-15-2-security-update/288923

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:elastic:kibana:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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