EUVD-2026-46389
GHSA-9fhm-53xw-h9c3
Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Network API requires low-privilege authentication (PR:L); AC:H reflects dependency on ingest pipeline presence on target indices; C:H for potentially sensitive enriched pipeline output; no integrity or availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (elastic).
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
3DescriptionNVD
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Elasticsearch can allow an authenticated user with limited index privileges to exploit insufficient authorization controls in the ingest simulation feature. By targeting indices they are not authorized to access directly, the user can cause those indices' configured ingest pipelines to execute and return their output, potentially disclosing data processed or enriched by those pipelines. Additionally, the same feature can be used to retrieve index mapping metadata for indices the user are not authorized to access directly.
AnalysisAI
Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Elasticsearch's ingest simulation feature allows authenticated users with limited index privileges to bypass per-index access controls and trigger ingest pipeline execution on indices they are not authorized to access directly. Pipeline output - potentially containing enriched or processed sensitive data - is returned to the requestor, and index mapping metadata for restricted indices can also be retrieved through the same mechanism. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis; vendor-released fixes are available in versions 8.19.18, 9.3.7, and 9.4.4.
Technical ContextAI
Elasticsearch's ingest simulation API allows users to test ingest pipeline behavior without committing documents to an index. CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization) describes a failure to enforce the correct authorization policy - in this case, the simulation endpoint apparently validates that the user holds simulation-related permissions but does not cross-check whether the requesting principal holds read or access rights to the target index. Ingest pipelines in Elasticsearch can perform significant data enrichment operations (geo-IP resolution, field extraction, external lookups, scripting), meaning their output can contain confidential derived or raw data. The affected CPE (cpe:2.3:a:elastic:elasticsearch:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*) encompasses all Elasticsearch versions prior to the patched releases. The secondary disclosure path - index mapping metadata - allows an attacker to enumerate field names and types for restricted indices, which could support further targeted queries or reconnaissance.
RemediationAI
Upgrade Elasticsearch to version 8.19.18 (for 8.x deployments), 9.3.7 (for 9.3.x), or 9.4.4 (for 9.4.x) as appropriate for the installed branch, per vendor advisory ESA-2026-56 at https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-8-19-18-9-3-7-9-4-4-security-update-esa-2026-56/388555. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict access to the ingest simulation API endpoint using Elasticsearch's role-based access control by auditing and revoking simulation-related cluster or index privileges from any roles that do not require pipeline testing capabilities - note that this may disrupt legitimate development and QA workflows that rely on the simulate endpoint. Additionally, audit which indices have ingest pipelines configured and contain sensitive data, prioritizing access control review for those indices. Generic network-level controls will not mitigate this vulnerability since exploitation uses a legitimate authenticated API path.
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Same weakness CWE-863 – Incorrect Authorization
View allSame technique Authentication Bypass
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External POC / Exploit Code
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