# CVE-2021-43798: Grafana path traversal

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-43798-grafana-path-traversal-in-plugin-assets  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2024-02-01. Updated: 2026-05-15  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2021-43798 · Severity: critical · CVSS 3.1 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2024-02-01

Grafana, a widely used platform for monitoring and visualizing data, contains a security flaw that allows unauthorized access to files on the underlying server. An attacker can exploit this to read sensitive configuration files, credentials, or system data without needing a login. This vulnerability has been observed being used in active attacks, posing a significant risk to organizational data and infrastructure security.

Technologies: [github.com/grafana/grafana (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-grafana-grafana), [Grafana Labs Grafana](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/grafana). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go), [Grafana Labs](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/grafana-labs).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2021-43798 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2021-43798 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 9 October 2025. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2021-43798?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 1 February 2024.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/grafana/grafana (Go) SEMVER:introduced=8.3.0,fixed=8.3.1.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2021-43798?** Yes. github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): upgrade to 8.3.1 or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2021-43798 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2021-43798?** Check whether you run github.com/grafana/grafana (Go) or Grafana Labs Grafana at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- github.com/grafana/grafana (Go): upgrade to 8.3.1 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/grafana/grafana@v8.3.1
  ```


## Technical details

A path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22) exists in Grafana versions 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0. The flaw is located in the handling of plugin assets via the `/public/plugins/<plugin-id>/` URL path. By sending a specially crafted request containing dot-dot-slash (`../`) sequences, an unauthenticated remote attacker can bypass directory restrictions to read arbitrary files from the local filesystem. This can lead to the exposure of sensitive information such as the Grafana configuration file (grafana.ini) which may contain database credentials. The vulnerability has been patched in versions 8.0.7, 8.1.8, 8.2.7, and 8.3.1.

## Affected products

- Grafana Labs Grafana 8.0.0-beta1 through 8.3.0

## Identifiers

- CVE-2021-43798
- GHSA-8pjx-jj86-j47p

## Timeline

- 2021-12-08: advisory: Vendor blog post regarding 0-day disclosure
- 2021-12-09: patched: Patched versions released
- 2025-10-09: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

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