CVE-2026-27877: 
Grafana vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-27877 is a credential exposure vulnerability in Grafana that causes all direct data-source passwords to be leaked when public dashboards are enabled, even when those data sources are not used in the dashboards. It is classified under CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and affects Grafana versions prior to 9.3.0, versions 9.3.0 through 11.6.13, 12.0.0 through 12.1.9, 12.2.0 through 12.2.7, 12.3.0 through 12.3.5, and 12.4.0 through 12.4.1. The vulnerability was published on March 27, 2026, with patches released the same day. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High) per NVD, or 6.5 (Medium) per ENISA/Grafana's own scoring (Grafana Advisory).

The root cause is improper handling of data-source credential exposure in Grafana's public dashboard feature (CWE-312). When public dashboards are enabled and direct data-sources are configured, Grafana inadvertently exposes the passwords of all direct data-sources — not just those referenced by the dashboard — through the public dashboard API or response. Proxied data-sources are not affected because their credentials are handled server-side and never transmitted to the client. The attack vector is network-based, requires no user interaction, and — depending on the scoring authority — may require only low-level authentication or none at all (Grafana Advisory).

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to obtain plaintext passwords for all direct data-sources configured in a Grafana instance, including databases, time-series stores, and other backend services. This credential exposure can enable unauthorized access to connected backend systems, lateral movement within the infrastructure, and potential data exfiltration from those systems. Confidentiality is the primary impact; integrity and availability of the Grafana instance itself are not directly affected, but the compromised credentials can lead to full compromise of downstream systems (Grafana Advisory).

There is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of the time of reporting (Grafana Advisory). The EPSS score is approximately 0.011% (0.000110), indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. Detection plugins have been published by Tenable (Nessus) and Qualys, enabling scanner-based identification of affected instances.

1. Reconnaissance: Identify Grafana instances with public dashboards enabled using internet scanning tools (e.g., Shodan, Censys) or by browsing to publicly accessible Grafana URLs. Confirm the instance is running a vulnerable version (prior to 9.3.0, or between 9.3.0–11.6.13, 12.0.0–12.1.9, 12.2.0–12.2.7, 12.3.0–12.3.5, or 12.4.0–12.4.1).
2. Access public dashboard API: Navigate to or query the public dashboard endpoint (e.g., /api/public/dashboards/<uid> or related data-source configuration endpoints) that is accessible without full authentication due to the public dashboard feature.
3. Extract data-source credentials: Observe that the API response or related configuration endpoint returns plaintext passwords for all configured direct data-sources, not just those used in the dashboard.
4. Leverage credentials: Use the exposed credentials to authenticate directly to the backend data sources (e.g., databases, InfluxDB, Elasticsearch) and access or exfiltrate sensitive data, or pivot further into the internal network (Grafana Advisory).

• Network: Unusual or repeated unauthenticated/low-privilege requests to Grafana public dashboard API endpoints (e.g., /api/public/dashboards/, /api/datasources/) from external or unexpected IP addresses.
• Logs: Grafana access logs showing access to data-source configuration or public dashboard API endpoints by users or sessions that do not correspond to known administrators; anomalous access patterns from public dashboard tokens.
• Downstream Systems: Unexpected authentication attempts or successful logins to backend databases or services (e.g., InfluxDB, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch) using Grafana data-source credentials from unfamiliar source IPs.
• File System: No specific file artifacts expected, but review Grafana configuration files for direct data-source definitions that may have been targeted.

Grafana has released patched versions addressing this vulnerability: upgrade to 9.3.0 or later (for instances below 9.3.0), 12.0.0 or later (for 11.6.14+), 12.2.0 or later (for 12.1.10+), 12.3.0 or later (for 12.2.8+), or 12.4.0 or later (for 12.3.6+). As an immediate workaround, convert all direct data-sources to proxied data-sources, which prevents credential exposure entirely. Additionally, consider disabling the public dashboards feature if it is not required for your deployment (Grafana Advisory). Red Hat and SUSE have also issued errata for their Grafana packages (RHSA-2026:10223, RHSA-2026:10226, RHSA-2026:11416, RHSA-2026:11417, SUSE-SU-2026:2258-1, SUSE-SU-2026:2265-1) (Red Hat Errata, SUSE Advisory).

Grafana Labs issued an official security advisory recommending conversion of direct data-sources to proxied data-sources as a security best practice beyond just patching. Red Hat and SUSE both issued security errata for their downstream Grafana packages, indicating broad ecosystem attention. German Linux security outlet Pro-Linux.de covered the disclosure. No significant social media controversy or notable independent researcher commentary has been observed beyond standard vulnerability tracking and scanner plugin releases.