CVE-2020-7009: Elasticsearch Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gfv5-grx2-9jw2
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-266 CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-7009 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper privilege management in elasticsearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.8.8, 7.6.2.

CVE-2020-7009 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-7009
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gfv5-grx2-9jw2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-7009

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: 6.8.8 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>6.8.8</version>
</dependency>
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 7.6.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.6.2</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-2020-7009, 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 6.8.8), 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-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, where a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular 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

Elasticsearch versions from 6.7.0 to 6.8.7 and 7.0.0 to 7.6.1 contain a privilege escalation flaw if an attacker is able to create API keys. An attacker who is able to generate an API key can perform a series of steps that result in an API key being generated with elevated privileges.

CVE-2020-7009 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.8.87.6.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 6.7.0
< 6.8.8
6.8.8
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.0.0
< 7.6.2
7.6.2

References

NVD — CVE-2020-7009 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7009
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-6-8-8-and-7-6-2-security-update/225920
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200403-0004
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://www.elastic.co/community/security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-7009?
CVE-2020-7009 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Improper Privilege Management in Elasticsearch under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.8.8, 7.6.2 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2020-7009?
Upgrading to 6.8.8, 7.6.2 (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 6.8.8, 7.6.2. Upgrade your dependency to 6.8.8, 7.6.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-7009?
CVE-2020-7009 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-7009?
CVE-2020-7009 is classified under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment (A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-7009?
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-gfv5-grx2-9jw2",
  "modified" : "2022-06-23T18:02:18Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:13:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-7009" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Privilege Management in Elasticsearch",
  "details" : "Elasticsearch versions from 6.7.0 to 6.8.7 and 7.0.0 to 7.6.1 contain a privilege escalation flaw if an attacker is able to create API keys. An attacker who is able to generate an API key can perform a series of steps that result in an API key being generated with elevated privileges.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.7.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.8.8"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 6.8.7"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.6.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.6.1"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7009"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-6-8-8-and-7-6-2-security-update/225920"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200403-0004"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.elastic.co/community/security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-266", "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-23T18:02:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-03-31T19:15:00Z"
  }
}