CVE-2026-72638: Uncontrolled Recursion in Elasticsearch Leading to Denial of Service

Published Aug 13, 2026
·
Updated

Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Input Data Manipulation (CAPEC-153). An authenticated user holding only low-privileged index creation permissions can submit a single request containing a specially crafted, malformed custom analysis definition that is resolved recursively without a cycle or depth check, exhausting the thread stack and terminating the affected node.

Affected Software

3 affected components
Elasticsearch Elasticsearch
Elastic Elasticsearch>=8.0.0<8.19.20
Elastic Elasticsearch>=9.0.0<9.4.5

Event History

Aug 13, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:13 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:13 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:17 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-72638?

The severity of CVE-2026-72638 is classified as medium with a score of 6.5.

2

How do I fix CVE-2026-72638?

To fix CVE-2026-72638, update your Elasticsearch installation to the latest version that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What is CVE-2026-72638?

CVE-2026-72638 describes an uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in Elasticsearch that can lead to denial of service.

4

Who is affected by CVE-2026-72638?

CVE-2026-72638 affects authenticated users with low-privileged index creation permissions in Elasticsearch.

5

What kind of attack does CVE-2026-72638 enable?

CVE-2026-72638 enables denial of service attacks via manipulation of input data leading to uncontrolled recursion.

Contact

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