ElasticsearchDatabase / datastore · Elastic
CVE-2018-17244
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 Security versions 6.4.0 to 6.4.2 contain an error in the way request headers are applied to requests when using the Active Directory, LDAP, Native, or File realms. A request may receive headers intended for another request if the same username is being authenticated concurrently; when used with run as, this can result in the request running as the incorrect user. This could allow a user to access information that they should not have access to.
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 confidenceA race condition in Elasticsearch Security versions 6.4.0-6.4.2 causes request headers to be incorrectly applied when the same username is authenticated concurrently across multiple requests. When the 'run as' feature is used, this can cause a request to execute with the identity of a different user, leading to unauthorized information access.
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
ElasticsearchDatabase / datastore
>= 6.4.0, <= 6.4.2CVSS 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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Identify Elasticsearch versionSend a GET request to the Elasticsearch REST API endpoint (e.g., curl -X GET http://localhost:9200) and examine the 'number' field in the version object returned.Affected if The version number is greater than or equal to 6.4.0 and less than or equal to 6.4.2.
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Confirm Security (X-Pack) is enabledCheck the Elasticsearch configuration file (elasticsearch.yml) for the xpack.security.enabled setting, or query the cluster settings via GET /_cluster/settings.Affected if Security is enabled (xpack.security.enabled is set to true).
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Verify the run_as feature is configuredInspect the elasticsearch.yml configuration file for run_as-related settings, or query the native realm users to see if run-as capability exists. The run_as feature allows authenticated users to act on behalf of other users.Affected if The run_as functionality is enabled or configured in the security settings.
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Check for concurrent authentication patternsReview application logs and audit logs (if enabled) for instances where the same username performs concurrent authenticated requests. Look for requests occurring at nearly identical timestamps.Affected if Concurrent requests using the same authenticated username are observed in the environment.
Your environment is affected if you are running Elasticsearch Security versions 6.4.0 through 6.4.2 with the run_as feature enabled and users can submit concurrent authenticated requests.
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 Elasticsearch Security to version 6.4.3 or later. Until upgrade is possible, consider disabling the 'run as' functionality as a workaround to reduce the attack surface.
Fix this in Elasticsearch
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 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 $3,968.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-17244 — 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-2018-17244 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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- 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
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