Improper Access Control in Elasticsearch
CISA confirms exploitation of this vulnerability in real attacks. Prioritise checking whether your application is affected. CISA KEV · CC0 1.0
The Groovy scripting engine in Elasticsearch before 1.3.8 and 1.4.x before 1.4.3 allows remote attackers to bypass the sandbox protection mechanism and execute arbitrary shell commands via a crafted script.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch | < 1.3.8, >= 1.4.0, < 1.4.3 | 1.3.8, 1.4.3 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1427
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0868
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/100850
- https://www.elastic.co/community/security
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/130368/Elasticsearch-1.3.7-1.4.2-Sandbox-Escape-Command-Execution.html
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/130784/ElasticSearch-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- http://www.elasticsearch.com/blog/elasticsearch-1-4-3-1-3-8-released
- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-284- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch- Disclosed
- 14.05.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:21
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-w94p-6mhw-4qxw - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 40
- First → latest
- 03.2021 05.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 2
Severity breakdown
- High 8
- Medium 31
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2021: 7
- 2022: 19
- 2023: 4
- 2024: 7
- 2025: 3
- 2026: 0
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