# CVE-2026-72642: Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset in the Elasticsearch Machine Learning Native Inference Process

> A user with model upload privileges can trigger heap corruption in Elasticsearch's native inference process, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or crashes.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Aug 2026
- **Updated:** 14 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BIT-elasticsearch-2026-72642, CLEANSTART-2026-AH85401, CLEANSTART-2026-XN90031, GHSA-2rm9-5cpg-f943, MINI-36j8-g4mf-67cq, MINI-4896-f5jv-r779, MINI-6j4x-7rrm-w42v, MINI-8944-ghj9-7fhq, MINI-gv9v-c5qm-rcj6, MINI-wrqh-42f7-x58h, MINI-x86g-xgrh-2m4w

## What is CVE-2026-72642?

CVE-2026-72642 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Elastic Elasticsearch, published on 13 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The native inference process that Elasticsearch uses to evaluate uploaded machine learning models accepts a model operation that computes a memory address from an offset supplied inside the model, without validating that the offset stays within the bounds of the underlying storage. A user with the privileges required to upload and deploy a trained model can craft a model that reads and writes memory outside the intended allocation. The result is heap corruption that crashes the inference process, and, with sufficient control over the heap layout, could allow arbitrary code execution in the context of that process.

Weakness: CWE-823 (Use of Out-of-range Pointer Offset)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-72642?

1 open source package ship an affected version, including elasticsearch. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `elasticsearch` | Bitnami | From 8.19.0 | 8.19.20, 9.4.5, 9.5.1 |

Products: Elastic Elasticsearch.

## How do I fix CVE-2026-72642?

Upgrade elasticsearch to a fixed version for your release line: 8.19.20, 9.4.5 or 9.5.1.

## Is CVE-2026-72642 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72642 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Elastic Elasticsearch

- [CVE-2015-1427](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1427/): Elasticsearch Groovy Scripting Engine Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-3120](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3120/): Elasticsearch Remote Code Execution (high 8.1, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-5377](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-5377/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2026-72649](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72649/): Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Elasticsearch Leading to Remote Code Execution (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-7014](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7014/): Privilege Escalation Flaw in Elasticsearch (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-72642 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-72642 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Elastic Elasticsearch, published on 13 Aug 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-72642 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- elasticsearch (Bitnami): affected from 8.19.0; fixed in 8.19.20, 9.4.5, 9.5.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72642/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72642/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-72642
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72642
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-72642

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-72642/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.