CVE-2020-7021: Elasticsearch Insertion Of Sensitive Information Into Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cqgv-256r-m9r8
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CVSS 4.9
CWE-532
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7021 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.9) insertion of sensitive information into vulnerability (CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves insertion of sensitive information into log file in elasticsearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.8.14, 7.10.0.

CVE-2020-7021 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7021
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cqgv-256r-m9r8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.9
CWE Classification CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.9

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2020-7021

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: 6.8.14 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>6.8.14</version>
</dependency>
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 7.10.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.10.0</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-2020-7021, 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 6.8.14), 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-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File, where the product writes sensitive information to a log file. 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

Elasticsearch versions before 7.10.0 and 6.8.14 have an information disclosure issue when audit logging and the emit_request_body option is enabled. The Elasticsearch audit log could contain sensitive information such as password hashes or authentication tokens. This could allow an Elasticsearch administrator to view these details.

CVE-2020-7021 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.8.147.10.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
< 6.8.14
6.8.14
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.10.0
7.10.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7021 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7021
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-11-0-and-6-8-14-security-update/263915
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210319-0003

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7021?
CVE-2020-7021 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in Elasticsearch under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.8.14, 7.10.0 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7021?
Upgrading to 6.8.14, 7.10.0 (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 6.8.14, 7.10.0. Upgrade your dependency to 6.8.14, 7.10.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7021?
CVE-2020-7021 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7021?
CVE-2020-7021 is classified under CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File (The product writes sensitive information to a log file.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-7021?
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-cqgv-256r-m9r8",
  "modified" : "2022-06-23T17:58:18Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:41:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7021" ],
  "summary" : "Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File in Elasticsearch",
  "details" : "Elasticsearch versions before 7.10.0 and 6.8.14 have an information disclosure issue when audit logging and the emit_request_body option is enabled. The Elasticsearch audit log could contain sensitive information such as password hashes or authentication tokens. This could allow an Elasticsearch administrator to view these details.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.8.14"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 6.8.13"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.10.0"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.0.9"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7021"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-11-0-and-6-8-14-security-update/263915"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210319-0003"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-532" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-23T17:58:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-10T19:15:00Z"
  }
}