Elasticsearch OOM via crafted search request from read creds
CVE-2026-72684 Published on August 13, 2026
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling in Elasticsearch Leading to Denial of Service
A flaw in Elasticsearch allows an authenticated user holding only read privileges to submit a small search request containing a crafted user-supplied input. Processing that input causes a specific internal component to allocate memory without any upper bound, and the allocation occurs outside the scope of the existing memory accounting controls that were intended to constrain it. The resulting out-of-memory condition is fatal and terminates the affected node process, causing a denial of service.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-72684 is exploitable with network access, and requires small amount of user privileges. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality and integrity, and a high impact on availability.
Weakness Type
Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
The software allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated, in violation of the intended security policy for that actor.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-72684
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Affected Versions
Elasticsearch:- Version 8.0.0, <= 8.19.19 is affected.
- Version 9.0.0, <= 9.4.4 is affected.