Elastic Cloud Enterprise Vulnerability Let Attackers Execute Malicious Commands

Elastic Cloud Enterprise Vulnerability

Elastic has identified a critical vulnerability in the Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE) platform. This flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-37729 under advisory ESA-2025-21, arises from improper neutralization of special elements within the Jinjava template engine. The vulnerability allows administrators with malicious intent to execute arbitrary commands and exfiltrate sensitive data.

The affected versions include ECE 2.5.0 through 3.8.1 and 4.0.0 through 4.0.1. This vulnerability is particularly concerning for organizations using ECE for scalable cloud management in logging and metrics workloads, as it exposes enterprise environments to significant risks when exploited by insiders or compromised admin accounts.

The exploitation requires access to the admin console and a deployment with the Logging+Metrics feature enabled, limiting the threat vector to privileged users but increasing the impact in shared or multi-tenant setups. Attackers with admin privileges can inject malicious payloads into deployment plans, leading to code execution and potential data theft or system compromise.

The CVSS v3.1 score for this vulnerability is 9.1, indicating its critical nature due to factors such as network accessibility and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Elastic recommends immediate upgrades to patched versions 3.8.2 or 4.0.2 to address the vulnerability. For those unable to apply the patches promptly, strict role-based controls and monitoring of admin console access are advised. No direct workarounds are available.

Elastic suggests scanning request logs using the query: (payload.name : int3rpr3t3r or payload.name : forPath) to detect potential exploitation attempts, as these indicators may signal injected payloads.

Indicator of Compromise Description Detection Method

payload.name : int3rpr3t3r Malicious payload mimicking interpreter commands Log search in ECE console

payload.name : forPath Injection targeting path evaluation in templates Log search in ECE console

The rapid disclosure by Elastic is crucial for proactive defense, as delayed patching could lead to insider threats or lateral movement in compromised networks.

Based on reporting by Cyber Security News.