CVE-2026-72647: CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion in Elastic Elasticsearch
Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (CAPEC-230). An authenticated user holding only read privileges on a single index can submit one specially crafted search request whose deeply nested structure is processed without a depth limit, exhausting the thread stack and terminating the affected node.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch allows an authenticated user with limited read privileges to trigger uncontrolled recursion via serialized data containing deeply nested payloads. The lack of a depth limit in processing such requests leads to thread stack exhaustion and node termination, causing denial of service. The affected versions explicitly include Elasticsearch 8.0.0 and 9.0.0. There is no vendor advisory or patch information currently available, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Potential Impact
The impact is denial of service (DoS) on the affected Elasticsearch node. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but can disrupt availability by crashing the node processing the crafted request.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict authenticated user capabilities and monitor for unusual search requests with deeply nested payloads if possible.
CVE-2026-72647: CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion in Elastic Elasticsearch
Description
Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Serialized Data with Nested Payloads (CAPEC-230). An authenticated user holding only read privileges on a single index can submit one specially crafted search request whose deeply nested structure is processed without a depth limit, exhausting the thread stack and terminating the affected node.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
pkg:maven/org.elasticsearch/elasticsearchRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch allows an authenticated user with limited read privileges to trigger uncontrolled recursion via serialized data containing deeply nested payloads. The lack of a depth limit in processing such requests leads to thread stack exhaustion and node termination, causing denial of service. The affected versions explicitly include Elasticsearch 8.0.0 and 9.0.0. There is no vendor advisory or patch information currently available, and no known exploits in the wild have been reported.
Potential Impact
The impact is denial of service (DoS) on the affected Elasticsearch node. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but can disrupt availability by crashing the node processing the crafted request.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict authenticated user capabilities and monitor for unusual search requests with deeply nested payloads if possible.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- elastic
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-10T11:17:35.481Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7e1a81bf8831d539b182d1
Added to database: 08/13/2026, 19:26:57 UTC
Last enriched: 08/13/2026, 19:58:50 UTC
Last updated: 08/13/2026, 22:41:07 UTC
Views: 2
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