CVE-2026-72656: CWE-789 Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value in Elastic Elasticsearch
Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value (CWE-789) in the ES|QL query processing of Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Excessive Allocation (CAPEC-130). An authenticated user able to submit ES|QL queries could send a specially crafted query whose evaluation allocates an unbounded amount of heap memory, exhausting the available heap on the receiving node and causing the node to become unavailable.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability (CWE-789) in Elasticsearch 8.11.0 occurs in the ES|QL query processing component. An authenticated user submitting specially crafted ES|QL queries can trigger excessive memory allocation, which exhausts the heap memory on the node. This results in denial of service by causing the node to become unavailable due to resource exhaustion. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high availability impact.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation leads to denial of service by exhausting heap memory on the affected Elasticsearch node, causing it to become unavailable. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Users should monitor Elastic's advisories for updates and consider restricting ES|QL query submission privileges to trusted users only until a fix is available.
CVE-2026-72656: CWE-789 Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value in Elastic Elasticsearch
Description
Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value (CWE-789) in the ES|QL query processing of Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Excessive Allocation (CAPEC-130). An authenticated user able to submit ES|QL queries could send a specially crafted query whose evaluation allocates an unbounded amount of heap memory, exhausting the available heap on the receiving node and causing the node to become unavailable.
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-789) in Elasticsearch 8.11.0 occurs in the ES|QL query processing component. An authenticated user submitting specially crafted ES|QL queries can trigger excessive memory allocation, which exhausts the heap memory on the node. This results in denial of service by causing the node to become unavailable due to resource exhaustion. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high availability impact.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation leads to denial of service by exhausting heap memory on the affected Elasticsearch node, causing it to become unavailable. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Users should monitor Elastic's advisories for updates and consider restricting ES|QL query submission privileges to trusted users only until a fix is available.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- elastic
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-10T11:17:38.893Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7e1a82bf8831d539b18307
Added to database: 08/13/2026, 19:26:58 UTC
Last enriched: 08/13/2026, 19:57:53 UTC
Last updated: 08/13/2026, 21:41:20 UTC
Views: 4
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