ElasticsearchDatabase / datastore · Elastic
CVE-2023-49921
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered by Elastic whereby Watcher search input logged the search query results on DEBUG log level. This could lead to raw contents of documents stored in Elasticsearch to be printed in logs. Elastic has released 8.11.2 and 7.17.16 that resolves this issue by removing this excessive logging. This issue only affects users that use Watcher and have a Watch defined that uses the search input and additionally have set the search input’s logger to DEBUG or finer, for example using: org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input.search, org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input, org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher, or wider, since the loggers are hierarchical.
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 confidenceElastic Watcher's search input had excessive DEBUG-level logging that could output raw Elasticsearch document contents to logs. This only affects users with Watcher enabled who have configured the Watcher input loggers (org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input.search or parent loggers) to DEBUG or finer granularity.
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
>= 7.0.0, < 7.17.16>= 8.0.0, < 8.11.2CVSS 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:3.1/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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Check installed Elasticsearch versionRun `curl -s localhost:9200` or `GET /` via API to retrieve the version number. Alternatively, check the installed package version via your package manager (dpkg -r, rpm -qi, etc.).Affected if The version is >= 7.0.0 and < 7.17.16, or >= 8.0.0 and < 8.11.2
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Verify Watcher is enabledCheck if the x-pack watcher plugin is installed and enabled. Run `GET _cluster/settings` and look for `xpack.watcher.enabled` or check for the watcher plugin directory in `plugins/x-pack-watcher`. You can also query `GET _xpack/usage` and check if watcher is active.Affected if Watcher is enabled and running in the cluster
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Check Watcher input logger configurationLocate the Elasticsearch logging configuration file (typically `log4j2.properties` or `log4j2.yml` in the `config` directory). Search for logger entries matching `org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input.search` or its parent logger `org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input`. Also check for any wildcard entries under `org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher`.Affected if The logger for org.elasticsearch.xpack.watcher.input.search or its parent is set to DEBUG, TRACE, or ALL (any level finer than INFO)
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Inspect runtime logger settingsIf logging configuration can be adjusted at runtime via the logging API, check current settings: `GET /_cluster/settings` may contain transient logging configurations. Also review actual log output for the Watcher input components to see if DEBUG-level messages are being written.Affected if DEBUG-level logging messages for search input are appearing in Elasticsearch logs
You are affected if your Elasticsearch version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND Watcher is enabled AND the Watcher input loggers are configured to DEBUG or finer granularity, allowing raw document contents to be written to logs.
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.
dbcve · scoped7.17.168.11.2
Upgrade to Elastic 8.11.2 or 7.17.16, or ensure the Watcher input loggers are set to INFO level or higher (coarser than DEBUG) to prevent document contents from being written to logs.
Elasticsearch 7.17.16 or 8.11.2 (depending on your major version)
- 1. Identify the current Elasticsearch version by running: GET /
- 2. For Elasticsearch 7.x users: Plan upgrade to version 7.17.16
- 3. For Elasticsearch 8.x users: Plan upgrade to version 8.11.2
- 4. Create a full backup/snapshot of the Elasticsearch cluster before upgrading
- 5. Review Elastic's upgrade documentation and breaking changes for your version path
- 6. Perform the upgrade following Elastic's standard upgrade procedure (rolling upgrade or full cluster restart depending on architecture)
- 7. After upgrade, verify the version: GET /
- 8. Confirm the fix is applied by ensuring Watcher search input logs no longer contain raw document contents at DEBUG level
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Elasticsearch
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-49921 — 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-2023-49921 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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