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IMMUNITYSEC

Port 5601: Kibana web interface

Port 5601 is the default HTTP port of Kibana, the web interface for searching and visualizing data stored in Elasticsearch. The server.port setting defaults to 5601 and server.host defaults to localhost. IANA assigns 5601 to esmagent (Enterprise Security Agent), which differs from this common use.

5601
TCP

Port Details

Port
5601
Transport
TCP
Service
Kibana
IANA service name
esmagent
Range
User port (1024-49151)
Related ports
9200

Security Exposure

Kibana queries and displays the data held in the connected Elasticsearch cluster, so an instance that is reachable without authentication exposes that data. NVD describes CVE-2019-7609 as an arbitrary code execution flaw in the Timelion visualizer of Kibana versions before 5.6.15 and 6.6.1, and the CVE is listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Setting server.host to 0.0.0.0 makes Kibana listen on all interfaces, public and private.

Hardening

  • +Keep server.host on localhost or an internal address and publish Kibana through an authenticating reverse proxy if remote access is needed.
  • +Keep Elasticsearch security enabled so Kibana users must log in. Recent releases configure it automatically on the first node start unless security was explicitly disabled.
  • +Configure HTTPS for Kibana, which Elastic documents as a manual step.
  • +Upgrade Kibana to supported releases that include security fixes.

Monitoring

Enable Kibana and Elasticsearch audit logging, which Elastic documents as recording authentication attempts and authorization decisions, and review it for failed logins. Alert on connections to 5601 from outside the admin network.

Kibana Vulnerabilities

1 CVEs
CVETitleVendorCVSSEPSSKEVPublished
CVE-2019-7609
Kibana Arbitrary Code Execution
Elastic9.895.3%KEV2019-03-25

Tools for Auditing and Monitoring Kibana

Elastic Security

Free / Commercial
SIEM Tools

SIEM and XDR built on the Elastic Stack with open detection rules and endpoint integration.

LicenseElastic-2.0 (Security solution, detection rules); AGPL-3.0-only OR SSPL-1.0 OR Elastic-2.0 (Elasticsearch, Kibana core)
PlatformWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows

Nmap

Free / Commercial
Penetration Testing Tools

Network discovery scanner and port auditor for discovering live hosts, open ports, running services, and OS fingerprints.

LicenseNPSL-0.95 (Nmap Public Source License, not OSI-approved)
PlatformLinux, macOS, Windows

Nuclei

Free / Commercial
Vulnerability Scanning

Fast vulnerability scanner powered by community YAML templates to scan web applications, networks, and cloud targets for known defects.

LicenseMIT
PlatformLinux, macOS, Windows

Related Tool Categories

Network Security Tools→

Zero trust access, secure web gateways, firewalls, and perimeter enforcement platforms.

SIEM Tools→

SIEM platforms, EDR agents, SOAR automation, and detection rule engines for security operations.

Vulnerability Scanning→

Infrastructure scanners, CVE audit engines, container image inspectors, and exposure management platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is port 5601 used for?→

Port 5601 is the default port of the Kibana web interface according to Elastic's settings reference.

Is Kibana exposed by default?→

No. The server.host setting defaults to localhost, so remote access requires changing it.

Which vulnerabilities affect the service on port 5601?→

This database lists 1 CVE related to Kibana, 1 of them confirmed as exploited by CISA. Examples: CVE-2019-7609.

Sources

Port assignments from the IANA Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry. Services can be configured to run on any port, so traffic on port 5601 is not guaranteed to be Kibana. Exploited-in-the-wild data from the CISA KEV catalog (CC0).