CVE-2026-72683: CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion in Elastic Elasticsearch
A flaw in Elasticsearch allows an authenticated user with the privileges required to invoke the simulate pipeline API endpoint (https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-ingest-simulate) to submit a request that causes a self-referential data structure to be created. When a specific internal component later processes that structure, the operation recurses without bound and raises a fatal error that is not handled by the surrounding execution path, terminating the affected node process and resulting in a denial of service.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability in Elasticsearch arises when an authenticated user with the necessary privileges calls the simulate pipeline API endpoint and submits a request that creates a self-referential data structure. When Elasticsearch processes this structure internally, it triggers unbounded recursion, causing a fatal error that is not caught by the execution path. This results in the termination of the affected node process and a denial of service condition. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high availability impact. The affected versions explicitly identified are 5.0.0, 9.3.0, and 9.4.0. No patch or remediation level has been provided yet, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes the affected Elasticsearch node process to terminate due to an unhandled fatal error triggered by uncontrolled recursion. This results in a denial of service condition, impacting availability. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity according to the CVSS vector.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict access to the simulate pipeline API endpoint to trusted and authenticated users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation. Monitor vendor communications for updates on patches or official mitigations.
CVE-2026-72683: CWE-674 Uncontrolled Recursion in Elastic Elasticsearch
Description
A flaw in Elasticsearch allows an authenticated user with the privileges required to invoke the simulate pipeline API endpoint (https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-ingest-simulate) to submit a request that causes a self-referential data structure to be created. When a specific internal component later processes that structure, the operation recurses without bound and raises a fatal error that is not handled by the surrounding execution path, terminating the affected node process and resulting in a denial of service.
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 in Elasticsearch arises when an authenticated user with the necessary privileges calls the simulate pipeline API endpoint and submits a request that creates a self-referential data structure. When Elasticsearch processes this structure internally, it triggers unbounded recursion, causing a fatal error that is not caught by the execution path. This results in the termination of the affected node process and a denial of service condition. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.5 (medium severity), reflecting network attack vector, low attack complexity, required privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, no confidentiality or integrity impact, and high availability impact. The affected versions explicitly identified are 5.0.0, 9.3.0, and 9.4.0. No patch or remediation level has been provided yet, and no known exploits are reported in the wild.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes the affected Elasticsearch node process to terminate due to an unhandled fatal error triggered by uncontrolled recursion. This results in a denial of service condition, impacting availability. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity according to the CVSS vector.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict access to the simulate pipeline API endpoint to trusted and authenticated users only, minimizing the risk of exploitation. Monitor vendor communications for updates on patches or official mitigations.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- elastic
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-10T11:17:58.731Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7e1a85bf8831d539b1841f
Added to database: 08/13/2026, 19:27:01 UTC
Last enriched: 08/13/2026, 19:43:07 UTC
Last updated: 08/13/2026, 21:59:52 UTC
Views: 4
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