CVE-2022-31123 is a vulnerability affecting the Grafana open source observability and data visualization platform, specifically in versions prior to 8.5.14 and between 9.0.0 and 9.1.8. The issue stems from improper verification of cryptographic signatures on plugins (CWE-347). Grafana enforces plugin signature verification to prevent unauthorized or malicious plugins from being installed and executed. However, due to this vulnerability, an attacker can bypass the signature verification mechanism and convince a server administrator to install a malicious plugin. This malicious plugin would then run with the privileges of the Grafana server, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code, access sensitive data, or disrupt service availability. The vulnerability is mitigated in versions 8.5.14 and 9.1.8 and later, where the signature verification process has been properly fixed. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the attack vector requires social engineering to trick an administrator into installing a compromised plugin. The vulnerability does not require authentication to exploit but does require user interaction (the admin installing the plugin). The scope of affected systems includes all Grafana instances running the vulnerable versions, which are widely used in enterprise monitoring and analytics environments.

For European organizations, the impact of this vulnerability can be significant due to the widespread adoption of Grafana in IT infrastructure monitoring, cloud environments, and data visualization across sectors such as finance, manufacturing, telecommunications, and government. Exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive operational data, manipulation of monitoring dashboards, or disruption of critical observability functions, potentially delaying incident response and impacting business continuity. Attackers could also leverage this to move laterally within networks or exfiltrate data. Given the reliance on Grafana for real-time insights, any compromise could degrade trust in monitoring systems and increase the risk of undetected breaches. The social engineering aspect means that organizations with less mature security awareness programs are at higher risk. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as threat actors may develop exploits targeting this vulnerability.

1. Immediate upgrade of all Grafana instances to versions 8.5.14 or 9.1.8 and above to ensure the vulnerability is patched. 2. Implement strict policies to only allow installation of plugins from trusted and verified sources. 3. Enhance administrative security training to raise awareness about the risks of installing unverified plugins and recognizing social engineering attempts. 4. Employ network segmentation and least privilege principles to limit the impact of a compromised Grafana server. 5. Monitor Grafana logs and plugin installation activities for unusual behavior or unauthorized plugin installations. 6. Consider disabling plugin installation entirely if not required or using Grafana’s built-in plugin whitelist features. 7. Regularly audit and inventory installed plugins to ensure compliance with security policies. 8. Use endpoint protection and application control solutions to detect and prevent execution of unauthorized code on servers hosting Grafana.