CVE-2022-23712: Elasticsearch Improper Check For Unusual Or Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wh6w-69xc-5rq5
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-754
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23712 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) improper check for unusual or vulnerability (CWE-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions) affecting Elasticsearch libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper check for unusual or exceptional conditions in elasticsearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.2.1.

CVE-2022-23712 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23712
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wh6w-69xc-5rq5
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions
Affected Product Elasticsearch
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-23712

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: 8.2.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.elasticsearch</groupId>
    <artifactId>elasticsearch</artifactId>
    <version>8.2.1</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-2022-23712, 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 8.2.1), 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-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions, where the product does not check or incorrectly checks for unusual or exceptional conditions that are not expected to occur frequently during day to day operation of the product. 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 Denial of Service flaw was discovered in Elasticsearch 8.0.0 through 8.2.0. Using this vulnerability, an unauthenticated attacker could forcibly shut down an Elasticsearch node with a specifically formatted network request. Version 8.2.1 contains a patch.

CVE-2022-23712 Affected Elasticsearch Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.2.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearch
Maven
≥ 8.0.0
< 8.2.1
8.2.1

References

NVD — CVE-2022-23712 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23712
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-17-4-and-8-2-1-security-update/305530
Elasticsearch Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220707-0010
Elasticsearch Security Information SECURITY
https://www.elastic.co/community/security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23712?
CVE-2022-23712 is a security vulnerability in Elasticsearch involving Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions in Elasticsearch under CWE-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions.
Which Elasticsearch versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.2.1 across affected packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23712?
Upgrading to 8.2.1 (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 8.2.1. Upgrade your dependency to 8.2.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23712?
CVE-2022-23712 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23712?
CVE-2022-23712 is classified under CWE-754: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (The product does not check or incorrectly checks for unusual or exceptional conditions that are not expected to occur frequently during day to day operation of the product.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-23712?
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-wh6w-69xc-5rq5",
  "modified" : "2022-06-07T21:15:18Z",
  "published" : "2022-06-07T00:00:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23712" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions in Elasticsearch",
  "details" : "A Denial of Service flaw was discovered in Elasticsearch 8.0.0 through 8.2.0. Using this vulnerability, an unauthenticated attacker could forcibly shut down an Elasticsearch node with a specifically formatted network request. Version 8.2.1 contains a patch.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.2.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23712"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-stack-7-17-4-and-8-2-1-security-update/305530"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220707-0010"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.elastic.co/community/security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-754" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-07T21:15:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-06-06T18:15:00Z"
  }
}