Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A Grafana JSON datasource plugin could let a dashboard editor bypass an administrator-configured URL sub-path and make the datasource request other paths on the same domain. If pointed back at Grafana, an admin viewing a malicious panel could unknowingly send privileged requests, creating a privilege escalation risk.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where Grafana is business-critical or dashboard editors are broadly trusted. The highest-risk case is self-referential Grafana datasource configuration because administrator browsing can become a privilege escalation path. Prioritize inventory and vendor-guided remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2023-5123 is CWE-22 path traversal in Grafana's JSON datasource plugin. The dashboard-supplied path parameter was not adequately sanitized, allowing ../ traversal beyond the configured datasource sub-path. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.0, with low attack complexity, required low privileges, and required user interaction.
Likely exposure
Exposure is specific to Grafana environments using marcusolsson-json-datasource 0.2.0. It requires an authenticated user with dashboard editing ability and a datasource configured to a sub-path. Impact is higher when the datasource points back to the Grafana instance itself.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation or KEV listing. Exploitation depends on dashboard editing access and a victim interaction scenario, especially an administrator loading a malicious panel. The issue can redirect requests only within the configured endpoint's domain, not arbitrary internet hosts.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports path traversal in a datasource path parameter, constrained to the configured endpoint's domain. The source bundle names affected version 0.2.0 and default unaffected status, but does not include patch-version details. Do not assume active exploitation from the provided evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Check Grafana's advisory for fixed plugin versions or official remediation guidance.
- Inventory Grafana instances for the JSON datasource plugin version 0.2.0.
- Avoid configuring this datasource to point back at Grafana itself.
- Restrict dashboard editing rights to trusted users only.
- Review datasource endpoint scoping and remove unnecessary sensitive same-domain paths.
Validation and detection
- List installed Grafana plugins and identify marcusolsson-json-datasource versions.
- Review JSON datasource configurations for sub-path scoped endpoints.
- Check whether any datasource targets the Grafana instance itself.
- Audit dashboards from editors for unusual path traversal patterns.
- Review Grafana and upstream endpoint logs for unexpected same-domain sub-path requests.
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-22: File access and web shell behavior lookup
File traversal and upload weaknesses can lead teams to review file, web shell, execution, and collection 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupFile access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references file access or upload behavior, so file telemetry and web shell review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-5123 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.15.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://grafana.com/security/security-advisories/cve-2023-5123/CVE reference
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240503-0007/CVE 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 Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
