dbcve.org
ElasticsearchDatabase / datastore · Elastic

CVE-2018-17247

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-12-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Elasticsearch Security versions 6.5.0 and 6.5.1 contain an XXE flaw in Machine Learning's find_file_structure API. If a policy allowing external network access has been added to Elasticsearch's Java Security Manager then an attacker could send a specially crafted request capable of leaking content of local files on the Elasticsearch node. 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 confidence

An XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability exists in Elasticsearch Security versions 6.5.0 and 6.5.1 within the Machine Learning find_file_structure API. The vulnerability is only exploitable if a policy allowing external network access has been added to Elasticsearch's Java Security Manager, which is a non-default configuration. An attacker could craft malicious requests to read local files on the Elasticsearch node.

MitigationUpgrade Elasticsearch Security to version 6.5.2 or later. Additionally, ensure no policy allowing external network access is added to the Java Security Manager unless explicitly required and thoroughly reviewed.

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
Affected:= 6.5.0= 6.5.1

CVSS 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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed Elasticsearch version
    Run curl -s 'localhost:9200/' or GET / API endpoint to retrieve the version number from the 'number' field in the response
    Affected if The version number is exactly 6.5.0 or 6.5.1
  2. Verify X-Pack Security is enabled
    Check elasticsearch.yml for xpack.security.enabled: true, or query the _nodes/settings API and look for xpack.security in the response
    Affected if X-Pack Security is installed and enabled (the vulnerability exists only in the Security plugin)
  3. Confirm Machine Learning module is active
    Query the _nodes/ml API or check for ml module in _nodes/settings response; also verify find_file_structure API is accessible via curl -s 'localhost:9200/_ml/find_file_structure'
    Affected if The Machine Learning module is enabled and the find_file_structure API is available on the node
  4. Inspect Java Security Manager policy for external network access
    Review elasticsearch.yml for security.policy entries, and check any .policy files in the Elasticsearch config directory for permissions granting java.net.SocketPermission or similar external network access
    Affected if A custom Java Security Manager policy allowing external network access (non-default configuration) has been added to the Elasticsearch environment

You are affected if your Elasticsearch version is exactly 6.5.0 or 6.5.1, X-Pack Security and Machine Learning are enabled, AND a non-default Java Security Manager policy permitting external network access has been configured.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Elasticsearch Security to version 6.5.2 or later. Additionally, ensure no policy allowing external network access is added to the Java Security Manager unless explicitly required and thoroughly reviewed.

Fix this in Elasticsearch Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-17247 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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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