Key Points:
- Two significant vulnerabilities in Google Looker were identified by Tenable.
- These flaws could allow full system compromise and data theft.
- Google has patched these vulnerabilities in their cloud-hosted services.
Discovery of Vulnerabilities in Google Looker
Recent findings by cybersecurity experts at Tenable have brought to light critical vulnerabilities in Google Looker, a widely used business intelligence platform. These security flaws, if exploited, could result in complete control over the Looker instances, posing a significant risk to data integrity and security.
Google Looker is designed to integrate disparate data sources into a cohesive data environment, facilitating the creation of real-time visualizations and interactive dashboards. It is available as a Google Cloud-managed service or can be hosted on private infrastructure.
Nature of the Security Threats
Two vulnerabilities were identified by Tenable researchers that could lead to severe consequences, including remote code execution and unauthorized access to sensitive data. These vulnerabilities have been collectively named ‘LookOut’.
The first vulnerability allows an attacker with developer access to execute arbitrary code, potentially granting them full administrative rights over the infrastructure. This could enable unauthorized data manipulation, data theft, or further network penetration.
- Remote code execution could lead to unauthorized administrative control.
- Potential for cross-tenant access in cloud environments.
Response and Mitigation Measures
The second security flaw is an authorization bypass, which could allow attackers to connect to Looker’s internal database and extract data via SQL injection. This vulnerability poses a significant threat to internal data security.
Google responded to these findings by releasing patches in late September 2025. While the cloud-hosted versions of Looker have been updated automatically, users with self-hosted instances are advised to upgrade to the latest patched version to secure their systems.
The tech giant emphasized that no active exploitation of these vulnerabilities has been detected in the wild.
Conclusion
The identification and subsequent patching of these vulnerabilities underscore the ongoing challenges and responsibilities in maintaining cloud-based systems’ security. Organizations using Google Looker must ensure their instances are updated to mitigate potential threats. Staying informed and proactive in applying security updates is crucial for safeguarding data and infrastructure.
