Grafana is a popular open-source platform for monitoring and observability. It helps businesses visualize, alert on, and understand metrics to deliver actionable insights. One useful feature of Grafana is its ability to integrate data from numerous sources through plugins, including the Google Sheets data source plugin.

However, a vulnerability has been discovered in the Google Sheets data source plugin for Grafana, affecting versions .9. to 1.2.2. This vulnerability could lead to an information disclosure, exposing the Google Sheet API-key configured for the data source.

In this post, we will discuss the details of the vulnerability and how to mitigate it. For more information and the original reference, please refer to the GitHub Repository and the Grafana Security Advisory.

Exploit Details

The information disclosure vulnerability, assigned CVE-2023-4457, exists due to improper sanitization of error messages in the Google Sheets data source plugin versions .9. to 1.2.2. This could allow an attacker to view sensitive data, such as the API-key, by triggering an error in the plugin and accessing the unsanitized error message.

Here's a code snippet illustrating the issue

// vulnerable_code.js (Example)

function fetchSpreadsheetData(apiKey, sheetId) {
  try {
    // Fetch data from Google Sheets using API-key and sheetId
  } catch (error) {
    // The error message may contain the apiKey if the request failed
    console.error("Failed to fetch data:", error.message);
  }
}

As you can see, the error message might contain the API-key if the request failed, potentially exposing it to unauthorized parties.

Mitigation

The vulnerability has been fixed in the Google Sheets data source plugin for Grafana version 1.2.2. Upgrading to this version is recommended as it includes proper error message sanitization, removing the risk of information disclosure.

To upgrade the plugin, follow these steps

1. Access your Grafana server and navigate to the plugin directory. $GRAFANA_PLUGINS would usually be /var/lib/grafana/plugins/ or /usr/local/share/grafana/plugins/.

Update the "version": field to "1.2.2" and save the changes.

5. Restart your Grafana service to apply the changes. Use sudo systemctl restart grafana-server or the appropriate method for your system.

Ensure that your Grafana instance is running the updated plugin to mitigate the vulnerability.

Conclusion

The Google Sheets data source plugin for Grafana versions .9. to 1.2.2 contained an information disclosure vulnerability (CVE-2023-4457) resulting from improper error message sanitization. By upgrading to version 1.2.2, users can protect their API-keys and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data.

Always keep your Grafana instance and plugins up-to-date to ensure the security and performance of your monitoring systems. Stay informed on the latest security advisories and updates from the Grafana team by following their blog and GitHub repository.

Timeline

Published on: 10/16/2023 10:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 10/20/2023 15:17:00 UTC