Authenticated privilege escalation via readonly API access
Published Nov 7, 2025 · Updated Nov 7, 2025
Improper authorization in Elastic Cloud Enterprise 3.8.0 through 3.8.2 and 4.0.0 through 4.0.2 allows readonly users to escalate privileges. The API authorization layer permits the built-in readonly role to invoke user, service-account, and API-key creation, modification, and deletion endpoints reserved for stronger roles. Network access and authentication as the built-in readonly user are required; successful use grants control over accounts and keys, enabling broader platform actions.
Summary
What happened
Improper authorization in Elastic Cloud Enterprise 3.8.0 through 3.8.2 and 4.0.0 through 4.0.2 allows readonly users to escalate privileges. The API authorization layer permits the built-in readonly role to invoke user, service-account, and API-key creation, modification, and deletion endpoints reserved for stronger roles. Network access and authentication as the built-in readonly user are required; successful use grants control over accounts and keys, enabling broader platform actions.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-37736
- Published
- Nov 7, 2025
- Updated
- Nov 7, 2025
- Vendor
- Elastic
- Product
- Elastic Cloud Enterprise
- Classifications
- CWE-863, CAPEC-233, T1098
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 7, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 7, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=3.8.0 <=3.8.2
- Affected versionversion=4.0.0 <=4.0.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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