CVE-2020-7019: Elasticsearch Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c77j-p484-h84m
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7019 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper privilege management in elasticsearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.9.0, 6.8.12.

CVE-2020-7019 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7019
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c77j-p484-h84m
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
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:H/I:N/A:N).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-7019

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: 7.9.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.9.0</version>
</dependency>
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 6.8.12 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>6.8.12</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-2020-7019, 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 7.9.0), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. 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

In Elasticsearch before 7.9.0 and 6.8.12 a field disclosure flaw was found when running a scrolling search with Field Level Security. If a user runs the same query another more privileged user recently ran, the scrolling search can leak fields that should be hidden. This could result in an attacker gaining additional permissions against a restricted index.

CVE-2020-7019 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.9.06.8.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.9.0
7.9.0
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
< 6.8.12
6.8.12

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7019 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7019
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-9-0-and-6-8-12-security-update/245456
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200827-0001

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7019?
CVE-2020-7019 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Improper privilege management in elasticsearch under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.9.0, 6.8.12 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7019?
Upgrading to 7.9.0, 6.8.12 (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 7.9.0, 6.8.12. Upgrade your dependency to 7.9.0, 6.8.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7019?
CVE-2020-7019 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:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7019?
CVE-2020-7019 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-7019?
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-c77j-p484-h84m",
  "modified" : "2023-06-16T22:14:19Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:26:07Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7019" ],
  "summary" : "Improper privilege management in elasticsearch",
  "details" : "In Elasticsearch before 7.9.0 and 6.8.12 a field disclosure flaw was found when running a scrolling search with Field Level Security. If a user runs the same query another more privileged user recently ran, the scrolling search can leak fields that should be hidden. This could result in an attacker gaining additional permissions against a restricted index.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.9.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.8.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7019"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-9-0-and-6-8-12-security-update/245456"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200827-0001"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-06-16T22:14:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-08-18T17:15:00Z"
  }
}