# CVE-2021-37937: Elasticsearch privilege escalation

> A compromised Fleet-Server service account can escalate privileges to super-user due to incorrect API key creation logic in Elasticsearch.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Nov 2023
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-elasticsearch-2021-37937, GHSA-4qh7-cr89-jx92, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-37937

## What is CVE-2021-37937?

CVE-2021-37937 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elasticsearch, published on 22 Nov 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was found with how API keys are created with the Fleet-Server service account. When an API key is created with a service account, it is possible that the API key could be created with higher privileges than intended. Using this vulnerability, a compromised Fleet-Server service account could escalate themselves to a super-user.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-37937?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including elasticsearch. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `elasticsearch` | Bitnami | From 7.13.0 | 7.14.1 |

Products: Elastic Elasticsearch.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-37937?

Upgrade elasticsearch to 7.14.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2021-37937 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-37937 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Elastic Elasticsearch

- [CVE-2015-1427](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1427/): Elasticsearch Groovy Scripting Engine Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-3120](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3120/): Elasticsearch Remote Code Execution (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-5377](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5377/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-72649](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72649/): Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Elasticsearch Leading to Remote Code Execution (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2026-72642](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72642/): Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset in the Elasticsearch Machine Learning Native Inference Process (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-37937 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-37937 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elasticsearch, published on 22 Nov 2023. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-37937 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- elasticsearch (Bitnami): affected from 7.13.0; fixed in 7.14.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-37937/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-37937/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37937
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-37937
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-37937

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-37937/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.