Uncontrolled recursion in Elasticsearch aggregation crashes nodes
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Deferred Red Hat: fix deferred
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-674.
Summary
Elasticsearch versions 8.0.0 through 8.19.20, 9.0.0 through 9.4.5 and 9.5.0 through 9.5.1 are affected. Uncontrolled recursion (CWE-674) occurs in the search aggregation processing. An authenticated user with read access to one index can submit deeply nested aggregation definitions, which exhausts server resources and terminates the node. The node does not recover automatically and needs manual intervention to restore service.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Description from the CNA
Uncontrolled Recursion (CWE-674) in Elasticsearch can lead to Denial of Service via a specially crafted, deeply nested request submitted to the aggregation feature of the search API. Elasticsearch contains an uncontrolled recursion weakness in its search aggregation processing. An authenticated user with read access to a single index can submit a specially crafted request containing deeply nested aggregation definitions. Processing this request triggers unbounded recursive execution that exhausts the server process's available resources, causing the affected node to terminate. The node does not recover automatically and requires manual intervention to restore service.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elastic | Elasticsearch | 8.0.0 – 8.19.20; 9.0.0 – 9.4.5; 9.5.0 – 9.5.1 | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- Elasticsearch VendorElastic Affected 8.0.0 – 8.19.20; 9.0.0 – 9.4.5; 9.5.0 – 9.5.1 Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 1
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:elastic:elasticsearch:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 8.0.0 to before 8.19.21; 9.0.0 to before 9.4.6; 9.5.0 to before 9.5.2 | Vulnerable | Elastic |
- cpe:2.3:a:elastic:elasticsearch:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 8.0.0 to before 8.19.21; 9.0.0 to before 9.4.6; 9.5.0 to before 9.5.2 Vulnerable ·Elastic
Remediation
The sources list no fixed version for Elasticsearch. Red Hat lists Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) as affected with no fix plan available.
Written with Claude Haiku 5.5 from the sources below · 2026-10-29
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenShift AI (RHOAI) | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Quay 3
Timeline
- 2026-10-06 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-103006
- 2026-10-07 CISA SSVC decision points changed
- 2026-10-07 Priority changed: MEDIUM → LOW
- 2026-10-07 Alias added: GHSA-crr5-288w-ffvf
- 2026-10-07 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
- 2026-10-07 CVSS score added · Red Hat
- 2026-10-09 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
More Elasticsearch vulnerabilities
- TI-2015-01295 The Groovy scripting engine in Elasticsearch before 1.3.8 and 1.4.x before 1.4.3 allows… KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2014-02491 The default configuration in Elasticsearch before 1.2 enables dynamic scripting, which… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.1
- TI-2023-15037 Elasticsearch StackOverflow vulnerability CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2021-05135 Information disclosure in Elasticsearch CVSS 3.1MEDIUM 6.5
- TI-2021-05136 All versions of Elastic Cloud Enterprise has the Elasticsearch “anonymous” user enabled… CVSS 3.1HIGH 7.5
- TI-2015-04530 Elasticsearch before 1.6.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via… CVSS 3.0CRITICAL 9.8
Sources
- CVE-2026-103006 · CVE Program
- CVE-2026-103006 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-crr5-288w-ffvf · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2026-103006 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences