Elasticsearch: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
CVE-2023-31418 is a high-severity uncontrolled resource consumption vulnerability in Elasticsearch from Elastic, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 out of 10. It can be exploited remotely over the network by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions 8.8.2, 3.6.0 as the first without the flaw, so updating Elasticsearch to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 2.05% chance of exploitation within 30 days, higher than 82% of scored CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Elasticsearch to 8.8.2 or 3.6.0, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Read the advisory on discuss.elastic.co for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
- Until you can update, restrict network access to the affected service so it is not reachable from untrusted networks.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elastic | Elasticsearch | 7.17.12; 8.0.0 up to, but not including, 8.8.2; 2.13.3 up to, but not including, 3.6.0 | 8.8.2, 3.6.0 |
| Elastic | Elastic Cloud Enterprise | 2.13.3 and earlier; 3.6.0 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- NetworkCan be exploited remotely over a network, including the internet.
- Attack complexity
- LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
- Privileges required
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Scope
- UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
- Confidentiality
- NoneNo data is disclosed.
- Integrity
- NoneNothing can be modified.
- Availability
- HighThe component can be taken down completely.
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. Scored by NVD.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | CNA (elastic.co) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | High | NVD |
Official description
An issue has been identified with how Elasticsearch handled incoming requests on the HTTP layer. An unauthenticated user could force an Elasticsearch node to exit with an OutOfMemory error by sending a moderate number of malformed HTTP requests. The issue was identified by Elastic Engineering and we have no indication that the issue is known or that it is being exploited in the wild.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Ensure that protocols have specific limits of scale placed on them.
- Ensure that all failures in resource allocation place the system into a safe posture.
More Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerabilities (CWE-400)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Other references
Other vulnerabilities in Elasticsearch
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 7.2 High severity
- 7.1 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
- 8.8 High severity
Recent Uncontrolled Resource Consumption vulnerabilities
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
Spotted an error? Tell us.