CVE-2026-26938
Elastic Kibana 9.3.0
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:NSummary
CVE-2026-26938 is a high-severity Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine (CWE-1336) vulnerability in Elastic Kibana. Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Template Injection (T1221); ranked at the 17th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2026-26938 is an Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine vulnerability (CWE-1336) affecting Workflows in Kibana. Published on 2026-02-26, it enables arbitrary file reads from the Kibana server filesystem and Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Code Injection (CAPEC-242). The issue carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
Exploitation requires an authenticated user possessing the workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege. Such a user can leverage the flaw to access sensitive files on the Kibana server and conduct SSRF attacks, potentially targeting internal services or resources inaccessible from external networks.
The Elastic security advisory ESA-2026-17, available at https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-9-3-1-security-update-esa-2026-17/385253, addresses this vulnerability in Kibana 9.3.1 and provides details on patches and mitigation steps.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-8873
Vulnerability Data
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements Used in a Template Engine (CWE-1336) exists in Workflows in Kibana which could allow an attacker to read arbitrary files from the Kibana server filesystem, and perform Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) via Code Injection (CAPEC-242).…
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This requires an authenticated user who has the workflowsManagement:executeWorkflow privilege.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.3.2V1.3.7V1.3.10
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and static analysis can discover missing neutralization of template directives.
Input validation rejects or sanitizes untrusted data before it reaches the template engine, stopping injection of special syntax.
Security engineering principles require use of safe templating APIs and proper escaping of external input.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require proper input neutralization in template engines to prevent injection.
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.
Security testing can detect template-injection flaws but does not itself implement neutralization controls.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and sanitization that directly prevents template-injection weaknesses.
Application security requirements explicitly call for neutralizing special elements in template engines.
Secure architecture principles reduce the likelihood of unsafe template processing but do not prescribe specific neutralization techniques.
Secure coding standards require proper escaping or sandboxing of template directives, directly mitigating CWE-1336.