Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-22150 is a Kibana code execution issue tied to Fleet package handling. A user who already has Fleet admin permissions could upload a malicious package that Kibana loads insecurely because of an older js-yaml library. Business risk is meaningful where vulnerable Kibana exists, but exploitation requires high privileges.
Executive priority
Treat as a focused remediation item for environments using Kibana 7.10.2 with Fleet enabled. Prioritize where Kibana has elevated server access, internet exposure, or broad admin delegation. It is not evidenced as actively exploited in the provided sources.
Technical view
Elastic reports that Kibana 7.10.2 is affected. The flaw is classified as CWE-94 and has CVSS 6.6 with network access, high attack complexity, and high privileges required. Successful abuse could execute commands on the Kibana server, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Elastic Kibana 7.10.2 deployments where users or service accounts have Fleet admin permissions and package upload capability. The supplied source bundle does not identify other affected versions.
Exploitation context
The CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle, and no supplied source states active exploitation. The attacker must already hold Fleet admin permissions, making this more of a privileged-user or compromised-admin-account risk than an unauthenticated internet threat.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are privilege and product scope: high privileges are required, and the bundle names Kibana 7.10.2 only. The underlying issue is unsafe loading through an older js-yaml library, enabling command execution after malicious package upload by a Fleet admin.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Kibana deployments and identify any running version 7.10.2.
- Review Elastic’s linked security update and follow current vendor upgrade guidance.
- Restrict Fleet admin permissions to trusted, necessary administrators only.
- Review Fleet package upload workflows and remove unnecessary package management access.
- Monitor Kibana servers for suspicious Fleet package activity or unexpected command execution indicators.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the exact Kibana version running in each environment.
- List users and service accounts with Fleet admin permissions.
- Review recent Fleet package uploads for unrecognized or unauthorized packages.
- Check change records for upgrades or mitigations tied to Elastic’s security advisory.
- Confirm access controls prevent nonessential administrators from uploading Fleet packages.
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-94: Code execution behavior lookup
Code execution and unsafe deserialization weaknesses often justify reviewing execution behavior and process telemetry. 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 lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-22150 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.6 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.75.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.6MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-14-1-security-update/283077CVE reference
- https://www.elastic.co/community/securityCVE reference
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.
Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.