Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value in Elasticsearch Leading to Denial of Service
Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value (CWE-789) in Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Excessive Allocation (CAPEC-130). An authenticated user holding only read privileges on a single index can submit one small, specially crafted search request that causes an excessively large memory allocation, exhausting the JVM heap and terminating the affected node.
Affected Versions:
- 8.x: All versions from 8.0.0 up to and including 8.19.19
- 9.x:
- All versions from 9.0.0 up to and including 9.4.4
- Version 9.5.0
Affected Configurations:
All configurations are affected.
Solutions and Mitigations:
The issue is resolved in versions 8.19.20, 9.4.5, and 9.5.1.
For Users that Cannot Upgrade:
There are no workarounds for this vulnerability.
Indicators of Compromise (IOC)
No specific indicators of compromise have been identified for this vulnerability.
Elastic Cloud Serverless
Due to our continuous deployment and patching model, the vulnerability described in this security advisory was remediated in our Elastic Cloud Serverless offering before the public disclosure.
Severity: CVSSv3.1: Medium ( 6.5 ) - CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVE ID: CVE-2026-72645
Problem Type: CWE-789 - Memory Allocation with Excessive Size Value
Impact: CAPEC-130 - Excessive Allocation