CVE-2015-4165

The snapshot API in Elasticsearch before 1.6.0 when another application exists on the system that can read Lucene files and execute code from them, is accessible by the attacker, and the Java VM on which Elasticsearch is running can write to a location that the other application can read and execute from, allows remote authenticated users to write to and create arbitrary snapshot metadata files, and potentially execute arbitrary code.

Published: 2017-08-09 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2015-4165 is rated Moderate Risk (58.2/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.71%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2015-4165

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-12 2.30% 1.71% -0.60%
2 2025-05-18 4.72% 2.30% -2.42%
3 2025-03-30 — 4.72% —

Full EPSS history (14 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2015-4165

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.6 5.9 [email protected]
6.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 6.8 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2015-4165

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2015-4165

GHSA-fh5x-4j57-6q5x · Severity: high · Ecosystem: maven — Improper Access Control in Elasticsearch

OS Trackers for CVE-2015-4165

vendor priority summary link
redhat low — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2015-4165
ubuntu medium CVE-2015-4165 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (elasticsearch), 11 status rows across 11 suites (artful, bionic, precise, trusty, upstream, utopic, vivid, wily, xenial, yakkety, zesty): ignored 5, DNE 4, not-affected 1, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2015-4165

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2015-4165

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
elasticsearch elasticsearch 1.5.2 cpe:2.3:a:elasticsearch:elasticsearch:1.5.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2015-4165

cvelogic Threat Intelligence