CVE-2022-23708: Elasticsearch Elasticsearch Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pgq6-ccqj-hpqr
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23708 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) elasticsearch privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves elasticsearch privilege escalation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.17.1.

CVE-2022-23708 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23708
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pgq6-ccqj-hpqr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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:L/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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2022-23708

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: 7.17.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>7.17.1</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-2022-23708, 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 7.17.1), 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

A flaw was discovered in Elasticsearch 7.17.0’s upgrade assistant, in which upgrading from version 6.x to 7.x would disable the in-built protections on the security index, allowing authenticated users with “*” index permissions access to this index. Users running a cluster on an affected version that had previously been upgraded from 6.x, should upgrade to 7.17.1. Users that are planning to upgrade from 6.x should not perform an upgrade from 6.x to versions 7.16 through 7.17.0 and should use 7.17.1+ for upgrades from 6.x.

CVE-2022-23708 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.17.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 7.16.0
< 7.17.1
7.17.1

References

NVD — CVE-2022-23708 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23708
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-17-1-security-update/298447
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220729-0003

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23708?
CVE-2022-23708 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Elasticsearch privilege escalation under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.17.1 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23708?
Upgrading to 7.17.1 (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 7.17.1. Upgrade your dependency to 7.17.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23708?
CVE-2022-23708 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23708?
CVE-2022-23708 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-2022-23708?
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-pgq6-ccqj-hpqr",
  "modified" : "2023-07-03T21:35:11Z",
  "published" : "2022-03-04T00:00:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23708" ],
  "summary" : " Elasticsearch privilege escalation",
  "details" : "A flaw was discovered in Elasticsearch 7.17.0’s upgrade assistant, in which upgrading from version 6.x to 7.x would disable the in-built protections on the security index, allowing authenticated users with “*” index permissions access to this index. Users running a cluster on an affected version that had previously been upgraded from 6.x, should upgrade to 7.17.1. Users that are planning to upgrade from 6.x should not perform an upgrade from 6.x to versions 7.16 through 7.17.0 and should use 7.17.1+ for upgrades from 6.x.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "7.16.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.17.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23708"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-17-1-security-update/298447"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220729-0003"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-03-04T21:08:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-03-03T22:15:00Z"
  }
}