Sensitive Information Disclosure in Kibana via APM Logs

Executive Summary

CVE-2026-49088 is a vulnerability in Kibana where sensitive request header values can be recorded in application logs if the optional Application Performance Monitoring (APM) instrumentation is enabled.

This means that sensitive information, such as authentication tokens or other confidential header data, may be inserted into log files, potentially exposing it to anyone with access to those logs.

The issue affects multiple versions of Kibana and is classified as CWE-532, which involves the insertion of sensitive information into log files.

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Detection Guidance

This vulnerability can be detected by checking the application logs for the presence of sensitive request header values that should not be recorded. Specifically, if Application Performance Monitoring (APM) instrumentation is enabled, sensitive headers might be logged.

To detect this, you can search your Kibana log files for known sensitive header names or values that should not be present.

• Use grep or similar commands to search logs for sensitive headers, for example: grep -i 'authorization' /path/to/kibana/logs/*
• Check for other sensitive headers such as 'cookie', 'set-cookie', or custom authentication headers in the logs.

Additionally, verify if APM instrumentation is enabled in your Kibana deployment, as deployments without APM enabled are not affected.

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Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can lead to information disclosure by exposing sensitive request header values in application logs.

If an attacker or unauthorized operator gains access to these logs, they could retrieve sensitive information that might be used to compromise user accounts, escalate privileges, or perform other malicious activities.

The impact is limited to deployments where APM instrumentation is enabled; deployments without APM enabled are not affected.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability involves the insertion of sensitive information into log files, which can lead to information disclosure if sensitive request header values are recorded and accessed by unauthorized operators.

Such exposure of sensitive data in logs could potentially impact compliance with data protection regulations and standards like GDPR and HIPAA, which require the protection of personal and sensitive information from unauthorized access and disclosure.

Organizations using affected Kibana versions with APM instrumentation enabled should be aware that this vulnerability might lead to non-compliance if sensitive data is improperly logged and accessed.

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Mitigation Strategies

Immediate mitigation steps include upgrading Kibana to one of the fixed versions: 8.18.9, 8.19.6, 9.0.8, or 9.1.6.

If upgrading is not possible immediately, disable the Application Performance Monitoring (APM) instrumentation feature, as deployments without APM enabled are not affected.

Review and restrict access to application logs to minimize exposure of sensitive information.

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