Grafana Path Traversal (CVE-2021-43798) Exposure Management

Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on October 09, 2025. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.

What the vulnerability is

CVE-2021-43798 is a path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) identified in Grafana. This flaw could allow an attacker to gain unauthorized access to local files on the system hosting the application.

Exposure and applicability

This vulnerability affects deployments of Grafana. Organizations utilizing Grafana for data visualization and monitoring should determine if their current version is subject to this path traversal flaw. For U.S. federal agencies, CISA has mandated a remediation deadline of October 30, 2025, following the inclusion of this CVE in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on October 9, 2025.

Remediation priorities

Based on our analysis, vulnerability management teams should prioritize the following actions to reduce exposure:

1. Apply Vendor Mitigations: The primary corrective action is to implement the mitigations provided by Grafana Labs. This typically involves updating the software to a version where the path traversal flaw is addressed.
2. Cloud Service Review: For organizations utilizing Grafana via cloud services, we recommend reviewing BOD 22-01 guidance to ensure that the service provider has applied necessary protections or that the shared responsibility model is being met.
3. Decommissioning: In scenarios where mitigations are unavailable or cannot be applied due to legacy constraints, the source suggests discontinuing use of the product to eliminate the risk entirely.

How to validate remediation

Verification must move beyond a simple version check, as a deployed update does not always guarantee that the vulnerability is mitigated in the specific environment. We recommend the following validation approach:

• Configuration Audit: Verify that the updated binaries are active and that no legacy, vulnerable versions remain running in the environment.
• Access Validation: In a controlled, authorized testing environment, security teams should attempt to access local files via the path traversal vector to confirm the mitigation is effective.
• Exposure Confirmation: Ensure that any compensating controls (such as Web Application Firewalls) are configured to detect and block path traversal patterns specifically targeting Grafana endpoints.

Limits and open questions

While vendor mitigations reduce the likelihood of exploitation, residual risk may remain if the application is running with excessive system privileges, which could increase the impact of any remaining local file access flaws. It remains unknown whether this specific vulnerability has been utilized in known ransomware campaigns. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a fix depends on the correct implementation of the vendor’s instructions; failure to follow these precisely may leave the system exposed.

Source and editorial note

CVE-2021-43798: Grafana Path Traversal Vulnerability · Source date: October 09, 2025 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.

Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.

Archive date: October 12, 2025. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: September 30, 2026 at 01:18 UTC.

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