Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
In Kibana 5.0.0 and 5.0.1 with X-Pack installed, normal logged-in users could access advanced settings and the short URL service even when their permissions should not allow it. This is an authorization failure, not a remote unauthenticated takeover, but it can undermine administrative controls.
Executive priority
Treat this as a legacy access-control risk. It is not described as actively exploited, but affected Kibana systems can let ordinary authenticated users bypass intended permissions. Prioritize finding old Kibana/X-Pack deployments and upgrading or retiring them.
Technical view
CVE-2016-10364 is a CWE-306 missing-authentication issue affecting Elastic X-Pack Security before 5.0.2. Kibana requests to advanced settings and short URL services were not properly authenticated against user permissions, allowing any authenticated user to make those service requests regardless of assigned privileges.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to environments running Kibana 5.0.0 or 5.0.1 with X-Pack Security installed, or Elastic X-Pack Security versions before 5.0.2. The vulnerable software is old, so current exposure depends on legacy deployments, retained appliances, or unpatched internal systems.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and KEV status is false. Exploitation requires an authenticated user account. The business concern is unauthorized use of Kibana advanced settings or short URL functionality by users who should lack those permissions.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: no CVSS vector is provided in the source bundle, and the Elastic reference is general. The core issue is permission bypass for two Kibana service areas when X-Pack is installed. Avoid assuming broader Elasticsearch compromise without additional evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Elastic X-Pack Security and Kibana beyond the affected 5.0.0 and 5.0.1 versions.
- Follow Elastic security guidance for the exact supported fixed version and upgrade path.
- Remove or isolate legacy Kibana instances that cannot be upgraded promptly.
- Limit Kibana access to trusted users while remediation is pending.
- Review accounts with Kibana access and remove unnecessary authenticated users.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Kibana deployments and identify any 5.0.0 or 5.0.1 instances with X-Pack installed.
- Confirm Elastic X-Pack Security is version 5.0.2 or later where applicable.
- Review Kibana access logs for advanced settings or short URL activity by low-privileged users.
- After remediation, verify low-privileged test users cannot access restricted Kibana services.
- Check vendor advisories for any additional environment-specific guidance.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-306: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2016-10364 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.elastic.co/community/securityCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Missing Authentication for Critical Function represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.