When using the Index Replication feature, Apache Solr nodes can pull index files from a master/leader node using an HTTP API which accepts a file name. However, Solr before 5.5.4 and 6.x before 6.4.1 did not validate the file name, hence it was possible to craft a special request involving path traversal, leaving any file readable to the Solr server process exposed. Solr servers protected and restricted by firewall rules and/or authentication would not be at risk since only trusted clients and users would gain direct HTTP access.

Apache Solr uses a PKI based mechanism to secure inter-node communication when security is enabled. It is possible to create a specially crafted node name that does not exist as part of the cluster and point it to a malicious node. This can trick the nodes in cluster to believe that the malicious node is a member of the cluster. So, if Solr users have enabled BasicAuth authentication mechanism using the BasicAuthPlugin or if the user has implemented a custom Authentication plugin, which does not implement either "HttpClientInterceptorPlugin" or "HttpClientBuilderPlugin", his/her servers are vulnerable to this attack. Users who only use SSL without basic authentication or those who use Kerberos are not affected.