CVE-2021-22140

CVE-2021-22140 is a high-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elastic App Search with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-611.

Key facts

Description

Elastic App Search versions after 7.11.0 and before 7.12.0 contain an XML External Entity Injection issue (XXE) in the App Search web crawler beta feature. Using this vector, an attacker whose website is being crawled by App Search could craft a malicious sitemap.xml to traverse the filesystem of the host running the instance and obtain sensitive files.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-22140?
Elastic App Search versions after 7.11.0 and before 7.12.0 contain an XML External Entity Injection issue (XXE) in the App Search web crawler beta feature. Using this vector, an attacker whose website is being crawled by App Search could craft a malicious sitemap.xml to traverse the filesystem of the host running the instance and obtain sensitive files.
How severe is CVE-2021-22140?
CVE-2021-22140 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-22140 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (66th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-22140?
CVE-2021-22140 affects Elastic Elastic App Search. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-22140?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-22140 published?
CVE-2021-22140 was published on 2021-05-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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