#VU67519 Out-of-bounds read in Elasticsearch - CVE-2021-22145

Vulnerability identifier: #VU67519

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-22145

CWE-ID: CWE-125

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Elasticsearch
Web applications / Other software

Vendor: Elastic Stack

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to gain access to potentially sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists in Elasticsearch error reporting. A remote attacker can submit a malformed query that would result in an error message returned containing previously used portions of a data buffer with sensitive information such as Elasticsearch documents or authentication details.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Elasticsearch: 7.10.0 - 7.13.3

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External links
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-7-13-4-security-update/279177
https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/163648/ElasticSearch-7.13.3-Memory-Disclosure.html
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210827-0006/
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1985039

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability. However, a fully functional exploit for this vulnerability is available.