How severe is CVE-2015-5531?

No CVSS score has been assigned to CVE-2015-5531 yet. Review the advisory details and affected package list to assess your exposure.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2015-5531?

CVE-2015-5531 affects the following packages: org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2015-5531?

Update org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch to 1.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2015-5531 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2015-5531 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2015-5531 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

Is CVE-2015-5531 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2015-5531, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2015-5531?

CVE-2015-5531 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 94.8%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2015-5531?

CVE-2015-5531 is classified as Path Traversal (CWE-22). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2015-5531?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2015-5531, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2015-5531 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2015-5531 was published on May 14, 2022 and was last updated on December 5, 2024. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CVE-2015-5531 — elasticsearch

CVE-2015-5531 is a Path Traversal vulnerability in org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory in Elasticsearch

Published

May 14, 2022

Updated

Dec 5, 2024

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 21, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

94.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Directory traversal vulnerability in Elasticsearch before 1.6.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors related to snapshot API calls.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch`	all versions	1.6.1`org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch:1.6.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

elasticsearchelasticsearch

≤ 1.6.0

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-38383webappslinux

ElasticSearch 1.6.0 - Arbitrary File Download

by Pedro Andujar · Oct 2, 2015

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch to 1.6.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2015-5531 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.

How to detect CVE-2015-5531

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2015-5531 -u https://target

Template: ElasticSearch <1.6.1 - Local File Inclusion
Severity: medium
Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to read arbitrary files on the server, potentially leading to unauthorized access or sensitive information disclosure.
Remediation: Upgrade ElasticSearch to version 1.6.1 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (princechaddha), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatLow

This issue does not affect the versions of elasticsearch as shipped with Red Hat Satellite 6.x and Subscription Asset Manager 1.x.

Workaround published by Red Hat

Constrain access to the snapshot API to trusted sources.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2015-5531 (CC BY 4.0)

Frequently Asked Questions

Directory traversal vulnerability in Elasticsearch before 1.6.1 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via unspecified vectors related to snapshot API calls.

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