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Graylog vulnerable to privilege escalation through API tokens

High severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jun 30, 2025 in Graylog2/graylog2-server • Updated Jul 2, 2025

Package

maven org.graylog2:graylog2-server (Maven)

Affected versions

>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.4
>= 6.3.0-alpha.1, < 6.3.0-rc.2

Patched versions

6.2.4
6.3.0-rc.2

Description

Impact

Graylog users can gain elevated privileges by creating and using API tokens for the local Administrator or any other user for whom the malicious user knows the ID.

For the attack to succeed, the attacker needs a user account in Graylog. They can then proceed to issue hand-crafted requests to the Graylog REST API and exploit a weak permission check for token creation.

Workarounds

In Graylog version 6.2.0 and above, regular users can be restricted from creating API tokens. The respective configuration can be found in System > Configuration > Users > "Allow users to create personal access tokens". This option should be Disabled, so that only administrators are allowed to create tokens.

Recommended Actions

After upgrading Graylog from a vulnerable version to a patched version, administrators are advised to perform the following steps to ensure the integrity of their system:

Review API tokens

An overview of all existing API tokens is available at System > Users and Teams > Token Management. Please review this list carefully and ensure each token is there for a reason.

Check Audit Log (Graylog Enterprise only)

Graylog Enterprise provides an audit log that can be used to review which API tokens were created when the system was vulnerable. Please search the Audit Log for action:create token and match the Actor with the user for whom the token was created. In most cases this should be the same user, but there might be legitimate reasons for users to be allowed to create tokens for other users. If in doubt, please review the user's actual permissions.

Review API token creation requests

Graylog Open does not provide audit logging, but many setups contain infrastructure components, like reverse proxies, in front of the Graylog REST API. These components often provide HTTP access logs. Please check the access logs to detect malicious token creations by reviewing all API token requests to the /api/users/{user_id}/tokens/{token_name} endpoint ({user_id} and {token_name} may be arbitrary strings).

References

@boosty boosty published to Graylog2/graylog2-server Jun 30, 2025
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Jun 30, 2025
Reviewed Jun 30, 2025
Published by the National Vulnerability Database Jul 2, 2025
Last updated Jul 2, 2025

Severity

High

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector Network
Attack Complexity Low
Attack Requirements Present
Privileges Required Low
User interaction Active
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality High
Integrity High
Availability High

CVSS v4 base metrics

Exploitability Metrics
Attack Vector: This metric reflects the context by which vulnerability exploitation is possible. This metric value (and consequently the resulting severity) will be larger the more remote (logically, and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerable system. The assumption is that the number of potential attackers for a vulnerability that could be exploited from across a network is larger than the number of potential attackers that could exploit a vulnerability requiring physical access to a device, and therefore warrants a greater severity.
Attack Complexity: This metric captures measurable actions that must be taken by the attacker to actively evade or circumvent existing built-in security-enhancing conditions in order to obtain a working exploit. These are conditions whose primary purpose is to increase security and/or increase exploit engineering complexity. A vulnerability exploitable without a target-specific variable has a lower complexity than a vulnerability that would require non-trivial customization. This metric is meant to capture security mechanisms utilized by the vulnerable system.
Attack Requirements: This metric captures the prerequisite deployment and execution conditions or variables of the vulnerable system that enable the attack. These differ from security-enhancing techniques/technologies (ref Attack Complexity) as the primary purpose of these conditions is not to explicitly mitigate attacks, but rather, emerge naturally as a consequence of the deployment and execution of the vulnerable system.
Privileges Required: This metric describes the level of privileges an attacker must possess prior to successfully exploiting the vulnerability. The method by which the attacker obtains privileged credentials prior to the attack (e.g., free trial accounts), is outside the scope of this metric. Generally, self-service provisioned accounts do not constitute a privilege requirement if the attacker can grant themselves privileges as part of the attack.
User interaction: This metric captures the requirement for a human user, other than the attacker, to participate in the successful compromise of the vulnerable system. This metric determines whether the vulnerability can be exploited solely at the will of the attacker, or whether a separate user (or user-initiated process) must participate in some manner.
Vulnerable System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the VULNERABLE SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the VULNERABLE SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
Subsequent System Impact Metrics
Confidentiality: This metric measures the impact to the confidentiality of the information managed by the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM due to a successfully exploited vulnerability. Confidentiality refers to limiting information access and disclosure to only authorized users, as well as preventing access by, or disclosure to, unauthorized ones.
Integrity: This metric measures the impact to integrity of a successfully exploited vulnerability. Integrity refers to the trustworthiness and veracity of information. Integrity of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM is impacted when an attacker makes unauthorized modification of system data. Integrity is also impacted when a system user can repudiate critical actions taken in the context of the system (e.g. due to insufficient logging).
Availability: This metric measures the impact to the availability of the SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM resulting from a successfully exploited vulnerability. While the Confidentiality and Integrity impact metrics apply to the loss of confidentiality or integrity of data (e.g., information, files) used by the system, this metric refers to the loss of availability of the impacted system itself, such as a networked service (e.g., web, database, email). Since availability refers to the accessibility of information resources, attacks that consume network bandwidth, processor cycles, or disk space all impact the availability of a system.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H

EPSS score

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

This score estimates the probability of this vulnerability being exploited within the next 30 days. Data provided by FIRST.
(11th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2025-53106

GHSA ID

GHSA-3m86-c9x3-vwm9

Credits

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