CVE-2018-17247 Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Elasticsearch
An XXE vulnerability in Elasticsearch Machine Learning allows attackers to read local files if external network access is permitted in the security policy.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Not needed
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2018-17247?
CVE-2018-17247 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elasticsearch, published on 20 Dec 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Elasticsearch Security versions 6.5.0 and 6.5.1 contain an XXE flaw in Machine Learning's find_file_structure API. If a policy allowing external network access has been added to Elasticsearch's Java Security Manager then an attacker could send a specially crafted request capable of leaking content of local files on the Elasticsearch node. This could allow a user to access information that they should not have access to.
Weakness: CWE-611
Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-17247?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch Maven | From 6.5.0 | 6.5.2 |
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch Maven | From 6.5.0 | 6.5.2 |
Products include Elastic Elasticsearch.
How do I fix CVE-2018-17247?
Upgrade org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch to 6.5.2 or later.
Is CVE-2018-17247 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-17247 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Elastic Elasticsearch
- CVE-2015-1427 Elasticsearch Groovy Scripting Engine Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2014-3120 Elasticsearch Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2015-5377 Code injection in n/a
- CVE-2026-72649 Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Elasticsearch Leading to Remote Code Execution
- CVE-2026-72642 Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset in the Elasticsearch Machine Learning Native Inference Process
Sources
Also known as GHSA-ccmr-qj26-845g.