CVE-2018-17244
MEDIUMCVE-2018-17244 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-362 vulnerability in org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2018-17244 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Elasticsearch
Blast Radius
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearchReal-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
Elasticsearch Security versions 6.4.0 to 6.4.2 contain an error in the way request headers are applied to requests when using the Active Directory, LDAP, Native, or File realms. A request may receive headers intended for another request if the same username is being authenticated concurrently; when used with run as, this can result in the request running as the incorrect user. This could allow a user to access information that they should not have access to.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch | ≥ 6.4.0&&< 6.4.3 | 6.4.3 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch to 6.4.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-17244 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2018-17244 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2018-17244. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2018-17244 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2018-17244 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.