# CVE-2023-5123: Improper Path Sanitization in JSON Datasource Plugin

> Attackers can traverse paths to access unauthorized data or escalate privileges via malicious dashboard queries in the Grafana JSON datasource plugin.

- **Severity:** High 8.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Feb 2024
- **Updated:** 24 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-xg2r-m5g9-vr82

## What is CVE-2023-5123?

CVE-2023-5123 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in grafana-json-datasource, published on 14 Feb 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The JSON datasource plugin ( https://grafana.com/grafana/plugins/marcusolsson-json-datasource/ ) is a Grafana Labs maintained plugin for Grafana that allows for retrieving and processing JSON data from a remote endpoint (including a specific sub-path) configured by an administrator. Due to inadequate sanitization of the dashboard-supplied path parameter, it was possible to include path traversal characters (../) in the path parameter and send requests to paths on the configured endpoint outside the configured sub-path. 

    
    
            

    
    
            This means that if the datasource was configured by an administrator to point at some sub-path of a domain (e.g.  https://example.com/api/some_safe_api/ ), it was possible for an editor to create a dashboard referencing the datasource which issues queries containing path traversal characters, which would in turn cause the datasource to instead query arbitrary subpaths on the configured domain (e.g.  https://example.com/api/admin_api/) .

In the rare case that this plugin is configured by an administrator to point back at the Grafana instance itself, this vulnerability becomes considerably more severe, as an administrator browsing a maliciously configured panel could be compelled to make requests to Grafana administrative API endpoints with their credentials, resulting in the potential for privilege escalation, hence the high score for this vulnerability.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-5123?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Grafana Json Api Data Source.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-5123?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-5123 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-5123 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5123 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-5123 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-5123 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in grafana-json-datasource, published on 14 Feb 2024. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-5123 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: grafana-json-datasource. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5123/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5123/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-5123
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-5123
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-5123

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-5123/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.