Vulnerabilities

Security research · CVE-2026-72638

Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch can lead to denial of service via Input Data Manipulation (CAPEC-153).

Published Aug 13, 2026 · catalog updated Sep 1, 2026 · Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in

Last checked Nov 2, 2026. A connected source was read within the last 7 days.

Check if you run it

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-72638. EPSS is 0.42%. Act only if a listed version of Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in is installed.

Gaps on this record

  • The stored product name is a package slug. The name on this page is taken from the title (Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in).
  • No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.

Same product and reporting

Severity
Medium6.5
Known exploitation
Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
0.42%
Remediation
Version ranges on file
Affected products
cpe elastic/elasticsearch

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.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe elastic/elasticsearch< 8.19.20
  • cpe elastic/elasticsearch< 9.4.5

How to fix CVE-2026-72638

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2026-72638. EPSS is 0.42%. Act only if a listed version of Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in is installed.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with < 8.19.20, < 9.4.5. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-674. EPSS 0.42%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Aug 13, 2026 · Monitored products — high

    Detected

    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

  2. Sep 1, 2026 · Monitored products — high

    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

Sources

  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2026-72638

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • Monitored products — highVendor advisoryCVE-2026-72638

    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

    nvd.nist.gov

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Nov 1, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.

  • CVE.orgNov 2, 2026
  • Monitored products — highNov 1, 2026