CVE-2024-9264: Grafana SQL Injection Vulnerability

CVE-2024-9264 Overview

CVE-2024-9264 is a critical command injection and local file inclusion vulnerability affecting Grafana's experimental SQL Expressions feature. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user input within duckdb queries, allowing authenticated attackers with VIEWER or higher permissions to execute arbitrary commands and access local files on the underlying system.

The SQL Expressions experimental feature evaluates duckdb queries containing user input. Due to inadequate input sanitization before these queries are passed to the duckdb binary, malicious actors can craft specially formatted queries to achieve command injection or read arbitrary files from the server filesystem. This vulnerability requires the duckdb binary to be present in Grafana's $PATH, which is not installed by default in standard Grafana distributions.

Critical Impact

Authenticated users with basic VIEWER permissions can achieve remote code execution and access sensitive files on systems where the duckdb binary is present, potentially leading to full system compromise.

Affected Products

• Grafana version 11.0.0 and potentially other versions with SQL Expressions feature enabled
• Systems with the duckdb binary installed and accessible in Grafana's $PATH
• Any deployment where users have VIEWER or higher permissions

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-10-18 - CVE-2024-9264 published to NVD
• 2025-03-14 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-9264

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability combines two dangerous attack classes: Command Injection (CWE-77) and Code Injection (CWE-94). The experimental SQL Expressions feature in Grafana provides functionality for evaluating duckdb queries as part of data transformation pipelines. However, the implementation fails to properly sanitize user-controlled input before constructing and executing these queries.

When a user submits a query through the SQL Expressions interface, the input is passed to the duckdb execution engine without adequate validation or escaping. The duckdb database engine supports various functions that can interact with the filesystem and execute system commands, which attackers can leverage to break out of the intended query context.

The attack surface is significant because it requires only VIEWER-level permissions—the lowest authenticated privilege level in Grafana. This means any authenticated user in a Grafana deployment could potentially exploit this vulnerability if the prerequisites are met.

Root Cause

The root cause is insufficient input sanitization in the SQL Expressions feature's query handling logic. User-supplied data is incorporated into duckdb queries without proper escaping, parameterization, or validation against dangerous functions and commands. The design assumes that queries will only contain benign analytical operations, but duckdb provides filesystem access and command execution capabilities that can be abused through crafted input.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring authenticated access to the Grafana web interface. An attacker must:

1. Have valid credentials with at least VIEWER permissions on the target Grafana instance
2. Access the SQL Expressions experimental feature (must be enabled)
3. Ensure the target system has duckdb binary installed in Grafana's $PATH
4. Craft malicious queries that exploit duckdb functions for command injection or file reading

The attacker crafts a malicious SQL query through the SQL Expressions interface that leverages duckdb's built-in functions capable of filesystem interaction or command execution. When Grafana processes this query, it passes the unsanitized input to duckdb, which executes the malicious payload with the privileges of the Grafana process.

For example, attackers could potentially use duckdb functions such as read_csv, read_parquet, or similar file-reading capabilities to access sensitive configuration files like /etc/passwd or Grafana's own configuration files containing database credentials. More sophisticated attacks could leverage command execution to establish reverse shells or deploy additional malware.

For detailed technical information on exploitation techniques, refer to the Grafana Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-9264

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual queries in Grafana logs containing file path references (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, configuration files)
• SQL Expressions queries with suspicious duckdb function calls that access filesystem paths
• Unexpected process spawning from the Grafana server process
• Network connections initiated from the Grafana process to unexpected external hosts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Grafana application logs for SQL Expressions queries containing path traversal sequences (../) or absolute file paths
• Implement network monitoring to detect unusual outbound connections from Grafana servers
• Enable audit logging for all SQL Expressions feature usage and review for anomalous patterns
• Deploy file integrity monitoring on sensitive system files to detect unauthorized access attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure centralized log aggregation for Grafana instances with alerting on suspicious query patterns
• Implement behavioral analysis to baseline normal SQL Expressions usage and alert on deviations
• Monitor for the presence of duckdb binary in Grafana's execution path as a risk indicator
• Track process execution chains originating from Grafana processes for signs of command injection

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-9264

Immediate Actions Required

• Disable the SQL Expressions experimental feature immediately if not required for operations
• Remove the duckdb binary from Grafana's $PATH to eliminate the attack vector
• Audit user permissions and remove VIEWER or higher access from unnecessary accounts
• Review Grafana logs for any signs of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Grafana has released security patches to address this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to the latest patched version of Grafana as indicated in the official security advisory. Review the Grafana Security Advisory for CVE-2024-9264 for specific version information and upgrade instructions.

Additionally, NetApp has published an advisory (NTAP-20250314-0007) for customers using Grafana in NetApp environments.

Workarounds

• Disable the SQL Expressions experimental feature in Grafana's configuration until patches can be applied
• Ensure duckdb binary is not installed or is removed from the system $PATH accessible to Grafana
• Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential command execution
• Apply principle of least privilege by restricting VIEWER permissions to only essential users

# Configuration example
# Verify duckdb is not in Grafana's PATH
which duckdb
# If found, remove or relocate the binary
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/duckdb

# Disable experimental features in grafana.ini
# [feature_toggles]
# enable = 
# (Ensure SQL Expressions / sqlExpressions is not listed)