Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value in Elasticsearch Leading to Denial of Service (CVE-2026-72645)
Description
CVE-2026-72645 is a medium severity vulnerability in Elasticsearch where an authenticated user with read privileges on a single index can trigger excessive memory allocation. This occurs via a specially crafted search request that causes the JVM heap to be exhausted, leading to denial of service by terminating the affected node. The vulnerability affects multiple Elasticsearch versions from 8.0.0 up to but not including 8.19.20, 9.0.0 up to but not including 9.4.5, and 9.5.0 up to but not including 9.5.1. A patch is available to address this issue.
Affected software
pkg:bitnami/elasticsearchRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability in Elasticsearch involves memory allocation with an excessive size value (CWE-789) that can be exploited by an authenticated user with read-only access on a single index. By submitting a small, specially crafted search request, the attacker can cause an excessively large memory allocation, exhausting the JVM heap and causing the affected Elasticsearch node to terminate, resulting in denial of service. The issue affects Elasticsearch versions >=8.0.0 <8.19.20, >=9.0.0 <9.4.5, and >=9.5.0 <9.5.1. The vulnerability is classified as medium severity and a patch is available to remediate the issue.
Potential Impact
An attacker with authenticated read privileges on a single index can cause denial of service by exhausting the JVM heap memory of an Elasticsearch node, leading to node termination and service disruption.
Mitigation Recommendations
A patch is available for this vulnerability. Users should upgrade affected Elasticsearch versions to the fixed versions at or beyond 8.19.20, 9.4.5, and 9.5.1 respectively. No additional mitigation steps are indicated.
Technical Details
- Gcve Source
- db.gcve.eu
- Osv Id
- BIT-elasticsearch-2026-72645
- Osv Schema Version
- 1.6.2
- Aliases
- ["CVE-2026-72645"]
- Ecosystems
- ["Bitnami"]
- Database Specific Severity
- Medium
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a85b4b2acd9273b492514c3
Added to database: 08/19/2026, 13:50:42 UTC
Last enriched: 08/19/2026, 14:11:51 UTC
Last updated: 10/04/2026, 10:04:22 UTC
Views: 55
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