CVE-2026-72683: Uncontrolled Recursion in Elasticsearch Leading to Denial of Service

Published Aug 13, 2026
·
Updated

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.

Affected Software

4 affected components
Elastic Elasticsearch
Elastic Elasticsearch>=5.0.0<8.19.19
Elastic Elasticsearch>=9.3.0<9.3.8
Elastic Elasticsearch>=9.4.0<9.4.4

Event History

Aug 13, 2026
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:10 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:10 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·08:17 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2026-72683?

CVE-2026-72683 has a medium severity rating of 6.5.

2

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-72683?

CVE-2026-72683 is an uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in Elasticsearch that can lead to a denial of service.

3

How does CVE-2026-72683 exploit the Elasticsearch system?

CVE-2026-72683 allows an authenticated user to create a self-referential data structure via the simulate pipeline API, leading to resource exhaustion.

4

Who is affected by CVE-2026-72683?

Users with the privileges to invoke the simulate pipeline API endpoint in Elasticsearch are affected by CVE-2026-72683.

5

How do I fix CVE-2026-72683?

To mitigate CVE-2026-72683, update to the latest version of Elastic Elasticsearch where this vulnerability has been addressed.

Contact

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