dbcve.org
EndpointApplication · Elastic

CVE-2023-46668

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-10-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.10.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
If Elastic Endpoint (v7.9.0 - v8.10.3) is configured to use a non-default option in which the logging level is explicitly set to debug, and when Elastic Agent is simultaneously configured to collect and send those logs to Elasticsearch, then Elastic Agent API keys can be viewed in Elasticsearch in plaintext. These API keys could be used to write arbitrary data and read Elastic Endpoint user artifacts.

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

Elastic Endpoint versions 7.9.0 through 8.10.3 store API keys in plaintext in debug-level logs when those logs are collected and forwarded to Elasticsearch by Elastic Agent. This exposes Elastic Agent API keys that can be used to write arbitrary data and read Elastic Endpoint user artifacts.

MitigationDisable debug logging on Elastic Endpoint (revert to default logging level) and rotate any API keys that may have been exposed in Elasticsearch logs. Update to version 8.10.4 or later when available.

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
EndpointApplication
Affected:>= 7.9.0, <= 8.10.3

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Identify Elastic Endpoint version
    Run 'elastic-endpoint version' or check the installed Elastic Endpoint package version using your system's package manager (e.g., dpkg, rpm, or the Elastic Agent status output)
    Affected if Version is >= 7.9.0 and <= 8.10.3 (within the vulnerable range)
  2. Verify if debug logging is enabled
    Check the Elastic Endpoint configuration file (typically in /etc/elastic-endpoint/ or retrieved via Elastic Agent policy) for the logging level setting. Look for a 'logging' or 'log_level' setting set to 'debug' or 'trace'
    Affected if Logging level is set to debug or trace (this enables the vulnerability)
  3. Confirm log forwarding to Elasticsearch
    Check if Elastic Agent is configured to collect and forward Elastic Endpoint logs to a local or remote Elasticsearch cluster. Review the Elastic Agent policy for the elastic_endpoint integration
    Affected if Elastic Agent is forwarding Elastic Endpoint logs to Elasticsearch (this enables exposure)
  4. Search for plaintext API keys in Elasticsearch logs
    Query Elasticsearch for documents in the 'logs-elastic_endpoint' or relevant index pattern where the message field contains plaintext API key patterns (look for long alphanumeric strings following keywords like 'api_key', 'API Key', or within JSON structures containing 'key' fields)
    Affected if Plaintext Elastic Agent API keys appear in the log entries in Elasticsearch

You are affected if Elastic Endpoint version is between 7.9.0 and 8.10.3 AND debug logging is enabled AND those logs are being forwarded to Elasticsearch, as API keys may be exposed in the stored logs.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.10.3
Interim mitigation

Disable debug logging on Elastic Endpoint (revert to default logging level) and rotate any API keys that may have been exposed in Elasticsearch logs. Update to version 8.10.4 or later when available.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.10.4 or later

  1. Upgrade Elastic Endpoint to version 8.10.4 or later to remediate the vulnerability
  2. After upgrading, rotate any Elastic Agent API keys that may have been exposed in Elasticsearch logs while the vulnerability was present
  3. Verify the logging configuration to ensure debug logging is only enabled when necessary for troubleshooting

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Endpoint Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2023-46668 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data