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LogstashApplication · Elastic

CVE-2023-46672

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.11.1 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
An issue was identified by Elastic whereby sensitive information is recorded in Logstash logs under specific circumstances. The prerequisites for the manifestation of this issue are: * Logstash is configured to log in JSON format https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/running-logstash-command-line.html , which is not the default logging format. * Sensitive data is stored in the Logstash keystore and referenced as a variable in Logstash configuration.

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

When Logstash is configured to use JSON logging format (non-default), sensitive values stored in the Logstash keystore and referenced as variables in Logstash configuration files are inadvertently written to log files in plaintext, exposing secrets.

MitigationAvoid using JSON logging format in Logstash when sensitive data is stored in the keystore, or implement log scrubbing/filtering to redact sensitive values from logs.

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
LogstashApplication
Affected:>= 8.10.0, < 8.11.1= 7.12.1

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Check Logstash version
    Run `bin/logstash --version` or inspect the installed Logstash package
    Affected if Version is >= 8.10.0 and < 8.11.1, or version is exactly 7.12.1
  2. Verify if JSON logging is enabled
    Examine the Logstash logging configuration file (usually `logstash.yml` or `log4j2.properties`) for `log.format: json` or JSON-related logging settings in the `logging` section
    Affected if JSON logging format is explicitly configured (this is non-default; the default is plain text logging)
  3. Confirm keystore usage with configuration files
    Review Logstash pipeline configuration files (in `/etc/logstash/conf.d/` or the patterns directory) for references to secrets using the keystore syntax such as `${secret_name}` or `vault` filter plugin usage
    Affected if Secrets from the Logstash keystore are referenced in Logstash configuration files AND those configs are actively used

You are affected if your Logstash version is 7.12.1 or between 8.10.0 and 8.11.0, JSON logging format is enabled, and you store secrets in the keystore that are referenced in your Logstash configurations.

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 8.11.1 or later
Fixed in 8.11.1
Interim mitigation

Avoid using JSON logging format in Logstash when sensitive data is stored in the keystore, or implement log scrubbing/filtering to redact sensitive values from logs.

Recommended fix High confidence

Logstash 8.11.1 (or later 8.x); contact Elastic for specific 7.x patched release

  1. Upgrade Logstash from versions 8.10.0 to 8.11.0 to version 8.11.1 or later
  2. If running Logstash 7.12.1, upgrade to the corresponding patched release in the 7.x line (contact Elastic support for specific 7.x patch if not available)
  3. After upgrade, verify that sensitive data from keystore variables is no longer being written to JSON-formatted logs
  4. Review existing log files for any inadvertently logged sensitive data and rotate logs if necessary

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

Fix this in Logstash 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-2023-46672 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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