Destructive deletes allow wildcards
The cluster still allows destructive index operations with wildcards or _all, so one delete request can target many indices at once. That pattern is a common source of accidental data loss.
For a complete list of insights, refer to AutoOps insights.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Component | Elasticsearch |
| Severity | Medium |
| Scope | Cluster |
| Domains | security-safety |
The following is an example of what you might see when this insight is triggered. Real insights use live data and links from your deployment or cluster.
action.destructive_requires_name is false. Destructive operations such as index deletes can use wildcards or _all.
AutoOps shows different recommendations depending on how their conditions match your deployment or cluster.
Prevent deletion of wildcard indices
Condition: Always shown for this insight.
Enable action.destructive_requires_name so index deletes must name a specific index and cannot use wildcards. Use the action below.
PUT _cluster/settings
{
"persistent": {
"action.destructive_requires_name": "true"
}
}
Requires the manage cluster privilege. Requires Elasticsearch 8.0.0 or later. This action changes cluster or index configuration.
When action.destructive_requires_name is false, Elasticsearch accepts delete (and similar destructive) requests that target many indices at once through wildcards or _all.
A single mistaken request can remove large parts of a cluster’s data. Production clusters usually require an exact index name so operators cannot wipe multiple indices by accident.
Until the setting is enabled, any client with delete privileges can still perform broad destructive operations.