GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 — elasticsearch
MEDIUMGHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-121 vulnerability in org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch. 2 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.
Elasticsearch vulnerable to stack overflow in the search API
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 379,145 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 50–90% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch☕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
A flaw was discovered in Elasticsearch affecting the _search API that allowed a specially crafted query string to cause a stack overflow and ultimately a denial of service.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch | ≥ 7.0.0&&< 7.17.13 | 7.17.13org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch:7.17.13 |
| ☕Maven | org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch | ≥ 8.0.0&&< 8.9.1 | 8.9.1org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch:8.9.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch to 7.17.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds GHSA-qwrx-45xf-jjf7 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.