Elasticsearch Improper Access Control vulnerability
CISA confirms exploitation of this vulnerability in real attacks. Prioritise checking whether your application is affected. CISA KEV · CC0 1.0
The default configuration in Elasticsearch before 1.4.0.Beta1 enables dynamic scripting, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary MVEL expressions and Java code via the source parameter to _search. NOTE: this only violates the vendor's intended security policy if the user does not run Elasticsearch in its own independent virtual machine.
Affected software
Click a technology to see all vulnerabilities affecting it.
| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch | < 1.4.0.Beta1 | 1.4.0.Beta1 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3120
- https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/7151
- https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/pull/7642
- https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/commit/bd0eb32d9c3c3f5b6e5f8630c859cd04bdcd4e06
- https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/commit/f9de8b65898509e038e33215db0720b508477a12
- https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
- https://web.archive.org/web/20140813071419/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/67731
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2014-3120
- https://www.elastic.co/blog/logstash-1-4-3-released
- https://www.elastic.co/community/security
- https://www.found.no/foundation/elasticsearch-security/#staying-safe-while-developing-with-elasticsearch
- http://bouk.co/blog/elasticsearch-rce
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/33370
- http://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/exploit/multi/elasticsearch/script_mvel_rce
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-284- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch- Disclosed
- 17.05.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-mrfm-jxgf-2h6v - 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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Elasticsearch Improper Access Control vulnerability this entry
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