CVE-2021-22137: Elasticsearch Exposure Of Sensitive Information To Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hr65-qq6p-87r4
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-200 CWE-281
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-22137 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) exposure of sensitive information to vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in elasticsearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.11.2, 6.8.15.

CVE-2021-22137 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-22137
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hr65-qq6p-87r4
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-22137

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: 7.11.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.11.2</version>
</dependency>
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch fixed: 6.8.15 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>6.8.15</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-2021-22137, 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 7.11.2), 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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 versions before 7.11.2 and 6.8.15 a document disclosure flaw was found when Document or Field Level Security is used. Search queries do not properly preserve security permissions when executing certain cross-cluster search queries. This could result in the search disclosing the existence of documents the attacker should not be able to view. This could result in an attacker gaining additional insight into potentially sensitive indices.

CVE-2021-22137 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.11.26.8.15
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.11.0
< 7.11.2
7.11.2
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
< 6.8.15
6.8.15

References

NVD — CVE-2021-22137 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22137
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-12-0-and-6-8-15-security-update/268125
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210625-0003

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-22137?
CVE-2021-22137 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Elasticsearch under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.11.2, 6.8.15 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2021-22137?
Upgrading to 7.11.2, 6.8.15 (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 7.11.2, 6.8.15. Upgrade your dependency to 7.11.2, 6.8.15 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-22137?
CVE-2021-22137 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-22137?
CVE-2021-22137 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-22137?
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-hr65-qq6p-87r4",
  "modified" : "2022-06-22T18:23:44Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:02:19Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-22137" ],
  "summary" : "Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Elasticsearch",
  "details" : "In Elasticsearch versions before 7.11.2 and 6.8.15 a document disclosure flaw was found when Document or Field Level Security is used. Search queries do not properly preserve security permissions when executing certain cross-cluster search queries. This could result in the search disclosing the existence of documents the attacker should not be able to view. This could result in an attacker gaining additional insight into potentially sensitive indices.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.11.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.11.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 7.11.1"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.8.15"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 6.8.14"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22137"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-12-0-and-6-8-15-security-update/268125"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210625-0003"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-281" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-22T18:23:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-13T18:15:00Z"
  }
}