# Kibana 8.19.16, 9.3.5, 9.4.2 Security Update (ESA-2026-160)

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-8-19-16-9-3-5-9-4-2-security-update-esa-2026-160/390077>\
**Category:** Security Announcements\
**Created:** [September 1, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-8-19-16-9-3-5-9-4-2-security-update-esa-2026-160/390077 "2026-09-01T18:41:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ismisepaul](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ismisepaul/32/102235_2.png) [@ismisepaul](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ismisepaul)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-8-19-16-9-3-5-9-4-2-security-update-esa-2026-160/390077/1 "2026-09-01T18:41:43Z")

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**Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory in Kibana Leading to Unauthorized Deletion of Privileged Resources**

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (CWE-22) in Kibana can lead to the unauthorized deletion of privileged resources via Path Traversal (CAPEC-126). A low-privileged user holding tag creation privileges could cause a subsequent administrative action in the tag management interface to act on an unintended target, resulting in the deletion of privileged resources including administrative accounts and other organizational assets. Exploitation requires an administrator to interact with the affected interface.

**Affected Versions:**

- 7.x: All versions from 7.11.0 up to and including 7.17.29
- 8.x: All versions from 8.0.0 up to and including 8.19.15
- 9.x:
  - All versions from 9.0.0 up to and including 9.3.4
  - All versions from 9.4.0 up to and including 9.4.1

**Affected Configurations:**  
Kibana deployments where non-administrative users have been granted tag creation privileges.

**Solutions and Mitigations:**  
The issue is resolved in Kibana versions 8.19.16, 9.3.5, and 9.4.2.

**For Users that Cannot Upgrade:**

There are no workarounds for this vulnerability.

**Indicators of Compromise (IOC)**  
No specific indicators of compromise have been identified for this vulnerability.

**Elastic Cloud Serverless**  
Due to our continuous deployment and patching model, the vulnerability described in this security advisory was remediated in our Elastic Cloud Serverless offering before the public disclosure.

**Severity:** CVSSv3.1: High ( 7.3 ) - CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H  
**CVE ID:** CVE-2026-78592  
**Problem Type:** CWE-22 - Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')  
**Impact:** CAPEC-126 - Path Traversal