CVE-2017-8438

Elastic X-Pack Security versions 5.0.0 to 5.4.0 contain a privilege escalation bug in the run_as functionality. This bug prevents transitioning into the specified user specified in a run_as request. If a role has been created using a template that contains the _user properties, the behavior of run_as will be incorrect. Additionally if the run_as user specified does not exist, the transition will not happen.

Published: 2017-06-05 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-8438 is rated Moderate Risk (56.4/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.03%). 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-2017-8438

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 2026-06-15 0.41% 1.03% +0.61%
2 2025-03-30 0.32% 0.41% +0.09%
3 2025-03-29 — 0.32% —

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-8438

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/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:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
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.
 2.8 5.9 [email protected]
6.5 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:L/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:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
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.
 8.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-8438

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-8438

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
elastic x-pack 5.0.0 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.0.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.0.1 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.0.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.0.2 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.0.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.1.0 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.1.1 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.1.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.2.0 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.2.1 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.2.2 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.2.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.3.1 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.3.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.3.2 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.3.3 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.3.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
elastic x-pack 5.4.0 cpe:2.3:a:elastic:x-pack:5.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-8438

cvelogic Threat Intelligence