X PackApplication · Elastic
CVE-2017-8442
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedElasticsearch X-Pack Security versions 5.0.0 to 5.4.3, when enabled, can result in the Elasticsearch _nodes API leaking sensitive configuration information, such as the paths and passphrases of SSL keys that were configured as part of an authentication realm. This could allow an authenticated Elasticsearch user to improperly view these details.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe _nodes API in X-Pack Security versions 5.0.0 to 5.4.3 leaks sensitive SSL configuration details including key paths and passphrases configured for authentication realms to any authenticated Elasticsearch user.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
X PackApplication
>= 5.0.0, <= 5.4.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if X-Pack Security is installedRun `GET /_xpack` on the Elasticsearch cluster to see if X-Pack Security is availableAffected if The response does not include X-Pack Security information or returns an error indicating X-Pack is not installed (not affected)
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Determine the X-Pack Security versionRun `GET /_nodes/_all/plugins` and look for the x-pack-security plugin entry in the plugins list to find its version numberAffected if The X-Pack Security version is between 5.0.0 and 5.4.3 inclusive (potentially affected)
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Verify the _nodes API is accessibleSend an authenticated request to `GET /_nodes` using any valid Elasticsearch user credentialsAffected if The request returns successfully with node information (vulnerability is exploitable if version is in range)
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Check for SSL configuration leakageRun `GET /_nodes?filter_path=**.ssl` with authenticated credentials and examine the response for sensitive fields such as key_path, passphrase, or other SSL-related configuration detailsAffected if The response contains SSL key file paths, passphrases, or other sensitive SSL configuration details in the output (CONFIRMED AFFECTED)
A user is affected if X-Pack Security version is 5.0.0 through 5.4.3 and the _nodes API returns SSL configuration details including key paths or passphrases to authenticated users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade X-Pack Security to version 5.4.4 or later. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict access to the _nodes API through network segmentation or proxy-level authentication controls.
Fix this in X Pack
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-8442 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-8442 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data