CVE-2026-27876: Grafana SQL Expressions RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-27876 Overview

A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability exists in Grafana that can be exploited through a chained attack leveraging SQL Expressions and a Grafana Enterprise plugin. This vulnerability is categorized as CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code - Code Injection) and enables attackers with high privileges to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable Grafana instances.

While the vulnerability is specifically enabled by a feature in Grafana OSS, all users are strongly recommended to update their installations to prevent future attack vectors that may leverage this pathway. Only instances with the sqlExpressions feature toggle enabled are vulnerable to exploitation.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation allows authenticated attackers with high privileges to achieve remote code execution, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within the network infrastructure.

Affected Products

• Grafana Enterprise versions 11.6.0 to 11.6.13 (fixed in 11.6.14)
• Grafana Enterprise versions 12.0.0 to 12.1.9 (fixed in 12.1.10; version 12.0 is end-of-life)
• Grafana Enterprise versions 12.2.0 to 12.2.7 (fixed in 12.2.8)
• Grafana Enterprise versions 12.3.0 to 12.3.5 (fixed in 12.3.6)
• Grafana Enterprise versions 12.4.0 to 12.4.1 (fixed in 12.4.2)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-27 - CVE-2026-27876 published to NVD
• 2026-04-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-27876

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability represents a code injection flaw that enables remote code execution through a sophisticated chained attack. The attack chain combines the SQL Expressions feature with functionality exposed by a Grafana Enterprise plugin, creating an exploitation path that bypasses normal security controls.

The vulnerability requires high privileges to exploit, indicating that an attacker must first authenticate to the Grafana instance with elevated permissions. However, once authenticated, the attacker can leverage the SQL Expressions feature to inject and execute arbitrary code on the target system. The scope of the vulnerability is classified as "Changed," meaning successful exploitation can impact resources beyond the vulnerable component's security scope, potentially affecting other systems and services.

The impact spans all three security pillars: confidentiality, integrity, and availability are all rated as high impact. This indicates that exploitation could lead to complete disclosure of sensitive information, modification of system data, and service disruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-27876 is improper control of code generation within the SQL Expressions functionality (CWE-94). The sqlExpressions feature toggle, when enabled, exposes functionality that does not adequately sanitize or validate user-supplied input before processing it in a code execution context. This allows attackers to inject malicious code that is subsequently executed by the application.

The vulnerability exists in the interaction between the SQL Expressions feature and certain Grafana Enterprise plugin capabilities. The combination of these two components creates an exploitation chain that was not anticipated during the security design of either feature individually.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-accessible with low complexity, requiring no user interaction beyond the attacker's authentication with high-privilege credentials. The attack flow involves:

1. An authenticated attacker with high privileges accesses a Grafana instance where the sqlExpressions feature toggle is enabled
2. The attacker crafts malicious input leveraging the SQL Expressions functionality
3. This input interacts with Grafana Enterprise plugin capabilities to chain the attack
4. The malicious payload executes arbitrary code on the server with the privileges of the Grafana process

The vulnerability mechanism relies on code injection through the SQL Expressions feature. When the feature toggle is enabled, user-supplied expressions are processed in a manner that allows injection of executable code. For detailed technical information on the exploitation mechanism, refer to the Grafana Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-27876

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual SQL Expression queries containing code injection patterns or unexpected characters
• Abnormal process execution spawned by the Grafana server process
• Unexpected network connections originating from the Grafana server
• Modified system files or new file creation in the Grafana installation directory or system paths

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Grafana access logs for authenticated sessions performing unusual SQL Expression operations
• Implement application-layer monitoring to detect code injection patterns in SQL Expression inputs
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify suspicious process trees originating from Grafana
• Review authentication logs for privilege escalation attempts or access from unexpected locations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive audit logging for all SQL Expression feature usage
• Configure alerting on any code execution or shell spawning from the Grafana process
• Monitor for configuration changes to the sqlExpressions feature toggle
• Implement network segmentation monitoring to detect lateral movement from Grafana servers

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-27876

Immediate Actions Required

• Immediately upgrade to the patched Grafana versions: 11.6.14, 12.1.10, 12.2.8, 12.3.6, 12.4.2, or 13.0.0+
• If immediate patching is not possible, disable the sqlExpressions feature toggle
• Audit user accounts with high privileges and remove unnecessary elevated access
• Review recent activity logs for signs of exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Grafana has released security patches across multiple supported version branches. Users should upgrade to the following fixed versions based on their current deployment:

All versions 13.0.0 and above include the security fix. For complete patch details, refer to the Grafana Security Advisory.

Workarounds

• Disable the sqlExpressions feature toggle in Grafana configuration if the feature is not required
• Restrict network access to Grafana instances using firewall rules and network segmentation
• Implement strict access controls to limit the number of users with high-privilege accounts
• Deploy web application firewalls (WAF) with rules to detect and block code injection attempts

# Configuration example - Disable sqlExpressions feature toggle in Grafana
# Add the following to your grafana.ini or custom.ini configuration file:
[feature_toggles]
sqlExpressions = false

# Alternatively, use environment variable:
# GF_FEATURE_TOGGLES_ENABLE="-sqlExpressions"

# Restart Grafana after configuration change
sudo systemctl restart grafana-server