Cyber Resilience

CVE-2019-7609

RCE in Elastic Kibana ≤ 5.6.15

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCRCE
Published
25 March 2019
Modified
07 November 2025
KEV Added
10 January 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 10.0
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.95 99.9th percentile
Risk Priority 100 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2019-7609 is a critical-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Elastic Kibana. Its CVSS base score is 10.0 (Critical).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.1% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Kibana versions before 5.6.15 and 6.6.1 contain an arbitrary code execution flaw in the Timelion visualizer, tracked as CVE-2019-7609 with CWE-94. The issue permits an attacker to submit a request that attempts to execute JavaScript code within the affected component, carrying a CVSS 3.1 score of 10.0 reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and no required privileges or user interaction.

An attacker with access to the Timelion application can exploit the flaw to run arbitrary commands on the underlying host using the permissions of the Kibana process. This can result in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected system.

Elastic security advisories and corresponding Red Hat errata direct users to apply the updates released in versions 5.6.15 and 6.6.1. Additional guidance appears in Elastic's coordinated disclosure notice and community security announcement.

Public references include a detailed exploit description on PacketStorm, confirming the prototype-pollution vector that leads to remote code execution.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Kibana versions before 5.6.15 and 6.6.1 contain an arbitrary code execution flaw in the Timelion visualizer. An attacker with access to the Timelion application could send a request that will attempt to execute javascript code. This could possibly lead to…

more

an attacker executing arbitrary commands with permissions of the Kibana process on the host system.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
10 January 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter Execution
Adversaries may abuse command and script interpreters to execute commands, scripts, or binaries.
T1059.001 PowerShell Execution
Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.002 AppleScript Execution
Adversaries may abuse AppleScript for execution.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Execution
Adversaries may abuse Unix shell commands and scripts for execution.
T1059.005 Visual Basic Execution
Adversaries may abuse Visual Basic (VB) for execution.
T1059.006 Python Execution
Adversaries may abuse Python commands and scripts for execution.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-31415Same product: Elastic Kibana
CVE-2018-14667Same vendor: Redhatboth on KEV
CVE-2023-31414Same product: Elastic Kibana
CVE-2018-17246Same product: Elastic Kibana
CVE-2024-37287Same product: Elastic Kibana
CVE-2026-1340Shared CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2013-3906Shared CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2017-9822Shared CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2017-7494Shared CWE-94both on KEV
CVE-2023-33246Shared CWE-94both on KEV

Affected Assets

elastic
kibana
≤ 5.6.15 · 6.0.0 — 6.6.1
redhat
openshift container platform
3.11, 4.1

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V1.3.1

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-94

Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.

addresses: CWE-94

Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.

addresses: CWE-94

Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.

addresses: CWE-94

Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).

PR.DS-10 none match
prevents

PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

prevents

Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.

none

Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.

References