CVE-2023-46673: Elasticsearch Elasticsearch Improper Handling Of Exceptional Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-285m-vhfq-xx4h
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-755
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-46673 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) elasticsearch improper handling of exceptional vulnerability (CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves elasticsearch improper handling of exceptional conditions. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.17.14, 8.10.3.

CVE-2023-46673 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-46673
GHSA Identifier GHSA-285m-vhfq-xx4h
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-46673

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Elasticsearch dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 7.17.14 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.17.14</version>
</dependency>
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 8.10.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>8.10.3</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.elasticsearch

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-46673, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.elasticsearch

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Elasticsearch in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.17.14), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.elasticsearch command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions, where the product does not handle or incorrectly handles an exceptional condition. In Elasticsearch, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

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.

CVE-2023-46673 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.17.148.10.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.17.14
7.17.14
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.10.3
8.10.3

References

NVD — CVE-2023-46673 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46673
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-7-17-14-8-10-3-security-update-esa-2023-24/347708
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://www.elastic.co/community/security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-46673?
CVE-2023-46673 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Elasticsearch Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions under CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.17.14, 8.10.3 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2023-46673?
Upgrading to 7.17.14, 8.10.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is elasticsearch affected?
Yes, org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch is affected in releases prior to 7.17.14, 8.10.3. Upgrade your dependency to 7.17.14, 8.10.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-46673?
CVE-2023-46673 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-46673?
CVE-2023-46673 is classified under CWE-755: Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions (The product does not handle or incorrectly handles an exceptional condition.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-46673?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.elasticsearch'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-285m-vhfq-xx4h",
  "modified" : "2023-11-22T20:57:26Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-22T12:30:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-46673" ],
  "summary" : "Elasticsearch Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions",
  "details" : "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.\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.17.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.10.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46673"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-7-17-14-8-10-3-security-update-esa-2023-24/347708"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.elastic.co/community/security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-755" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-22T20:57:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-22T10:15:08Z"
  }
}