dbcve.org
ElasticsearchDatabase / datastore · Elastic

CVE-2023-46673

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-11-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.17.14 / 8.10.3 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
It was identified that malformed scripts used in the script processor of an Ingest Pipeline could cause an Elasticsearch node to crash when calling the Simulate Pipeline API.

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 · moderate confidence

A malformed script in Elasticsearch's Ingest Pipeline script processor can trigger a node crash when the Simulate Pipeline API is called, resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability stems from insufficient handling of malformed scripts during pipeline simulation, allowing attackers to crash nodes via crafted API requests.

MitigationRestrict access to the Simulate Pipeline API to trusted users and monitor for unusual crash patterns; upgrade Elasticsearch to the version containing the patch for this vulnerability.

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:>= 7.0.0, < 7.17.14>= 8.0.0, < 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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 your installed Elasticsearch version
    Run `curl -X GET 'localhost:9200'` or check the elasticsearch service logs for the version string at startup. On Debian/RPM systems, also check `dpkg -l | grep elasticsearch` or `rpm -qa | grep elasticsearch`.
    Affected if The installed version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.17.14, OR >= 8.0.0 and < 8.10.3.
  2. Verify access to the Simulate Pipeline API is not restricted
    Check your Elasticsearch security configuration (roles and users) for any explicit grants of `cluster:admin/ingest/pipeline/simulate` privilege or the built-in `ingest_admin` role. Review your API gateway or network layer for any proxy rules that allow external access to the `/_ingest/pipeline/_simulate` endpoint.
    Affected if The Simulate Pipeline API is accessible to untrusted users or unauthenticated callers.
  3. Identify ingest pipelines using script processors
    List all ingest pipelines with `GET /_ingest/pipeline/_all?filter_path=*.processors` and inspect each for any processor of type "script". You can also search your pipeline configuration files in the Elasticsearch config directory or any version-controlled pipeline definitions.
    Affected if Any ingest pipeline contains a script processor (type: "script") that could be manipulated via the Simulate Pipeline API.
  4. Review logs for node crashes or restart events
    Search Elasticsearch logs (typically in /var/log/elasticsearch/ or the configured log directory) for entries containing "OutOfMemoryError", "fatal exception", or rapid "node restarted" messages around the time of Simulate Pipeline API calls. Also check `GET /_cluster/health` for unexpected node departures.
    Affected if Nodes have crashed or restarted unexpectedly, and the logs reference the Simulate Pipeline API or script compilation failures.

You are affected if your Elasticsearch version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the Simulate Pipeline API is accessible to untrusted users AND you have script processors in your ingest pipelines, or you observe unexplained node crashes related to pipeline simulation.

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 7.17.14 / 8.10.3 or later
Fixed in 7.17.148.10.3
Interim mitigation

Restrict access to the Simulate Pipeline API to trusted users and monitor for unusual crash patterns; upgrade Elasticsearch to the version containing the patch for this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Elasticsearch 7.17.14 or 8.10.3 (or later stable releases within your major version)

  1. 1. Identify all Elasticsearch nodes in your cluster running versions >= 7.0.0 and < 7.17.14, or >= 8.0.0 and < 8.10.3
  2. 2. Review the Elasticsearch upgrade guide at https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/setup-upgrade.html
  3. 3. Plan for a rolling upgrade to minimize downtime, or a full cluster restart if required by your upgrade path
  4. 4. Before upgrading, back up your cluster state and ensure you have a way to roll back if needed
  5. 5. For clusters on 7.x versions: upgrade to version 7.17.14 or later
  6. 6. For clusters on 8.x versions: upgrade to version 8.10.3 or later
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify all nodes are running the new version and the cluster is healthy
  8. 8. Test the Simulate Pipeline API with various script inputs to confirm the fix is working
Caveat Review upgrade notes for potential breaking changes between your current version and target version, particularly around script engine behavior and pipeline processing

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

Fix this in Elasticsearch Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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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-2023-46673 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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