CVE-2024-52979 is a medium severity vulnerability affecting Elastic's Elasticsearch. This vulnerability allows uncontrolled resource consumption while evaluating specifically crafted search templates with Mustache functions. As a result, this can lead to Denial of Service by causing the Elasticsearch node to crash. With a CVSS score of 6.5, it presents a significant risk for organizations relying on this technology.
Risk to organizations includes the potential for service downtime, which could impact business operations and user access to critical data. As this vulnerability has not been publicly exploited, organizations should still take it seriously and plan for prompt remediation. The urgency for defenders is to address this vulnerability in their priority patch cycle.
Published on May 1, 2025, CVE-2024-52979 has been analyzed and is classified under CWE-400, which indicates that it involves resource exhaustion. Organizations utilizing Elastic's Elasticsearch should evaluate their environments for this vulnerability and prioritize mitigation strategies.
To defend against this vulnerability, organizations must remain vigilant about their deployments. Even though there is currently no known public exploit, ensuring that all systems are updated with the latest patches is crucial to maintaining security.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability described by CVE-2024-52979 allows uncontrolled resource consumption in Elasticsearch when evaluating specifically crafted search templates that utilize Mustache functions. The potential impact is high, as it can lead to a Denial of Service situation by crashing the Elasticsearch node. The CVSS score of 6.5 indicates the medium severity of this vulnerability.
The affected product is Elasticsearch, a popular search engine developed by Elastic. The vulnerability was disclosed on May 1, 2025, and falls under the CWE classification of resource exhaustion, specifically CWE-400.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of this vulnerability stems from how Elasticsearch processes crafted search templates using Mustache functions. Attackers may leverage this vulnerability via a network attack vector, requiring low privileges to exploit. User interaction is not required, making the attack easier to conduct. The attack complexity is considered low, and while the vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity, it has a high impact on availability.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The deployment of Elasticsearch in critical applications increases the risk associated with CVE-2024-52979. Organizations using this technology may face significant operational impacts if they experience downtime due to a Denial of Service attack. Given the medium severity rating, organizations should assess this vulnerability with urgency and integrate it into their patch management processes.
With an EPS score of 0.00197, indicating a low likelihood of exploitation, organizations should not become complacent. It is essential to consider this vulnerability within the broader context of security risks, ensuring that defenses are in place to mitigate potential service disruptions.
Organizations should prioritize remediation efforts to maintain operational integrity and avoid service interruptions. Given the nature of this vulnerability, it is advisable to continuously monitor Elasticsearch deployments for any signs of exploitation.
Exploitation Status
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The affected versions of Elasticsearch include all versions prior to 7.17.25 and versions from 8.0.0 to 8.16.0, which are vulnerable to this resource consumption issue.
Mitigation & Remediation
To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2024-52979, organizations should apply the latest security updates available from Elastic. It is important to upgrade Elasticsearch to version 7.17.25 or later to ensure that this vulnerability is addressed. If immediate patching is not feasible, organizations should consider implementing configuration hardening and network controls to limit exposure.
Organizations can also engage in continuous security testing to identify and remediate vulnerabilities proactively. For further guidance, consider reviewing our resources on penetration testing and application security best practices.
Detection Guidance
Organizations should monitor their Elasticsearch logs for indicators of resource exhaustion and unexpected crashes. Behavioral anomalies in application performance can also signal attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Network signatures that correspond with unusual request patterns should be analyzed to detect potential abuse.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The emergence of CVE-2024-52979 highlights the ongoing challenge of securing complex applications like Elasticsearch. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of thorough security assessments in identifying and mitigating risks. It reflects a broader trend in which resource consumption vulnerabilities can disrupt critical services, emphasizing the need for robust monitoring and incident response strategies.
To stay ahead of such vulnerabilities, organizations should invest in a comprehensive vulnerability management program and maintain an agile security posture. The ability to adapt to new threats is vital in today's fast-paced digital landscape.
For organizations using cloud technologies, integrating security practices into the development lifecycle is crucial. Regular reviews of security configurations and exposure reduction strategies can enhance resilience against vulnerabilities like CVE-2024-52979.
Finally, leveraging offensive security testing, such as red teaming, can provide insights into vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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