# CVE-2025-68388: Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-68388-elasticsearch-packetbeat-has-excessive-allocation-of-memory-and  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-01-23  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2025-68388 · Severity: low · CVSS 3.1 · Published 2026-01-23

Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments in github.com/elastic/beats

Technologies: [github.com/elastic/beats (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-elastic-beats), [github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go)](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/github-com-elastic-beats-v7). Vendors: [Go](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/go).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2025-68388 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2025-68388 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2025-68388?** Low severity, with a CVSS score of 3.1, published 23 January 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** github.com/elastic/beats (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0, SEMVER:introduced=8.6.0,fixed=8.19.9; github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2025-68388?** Yes. github.com/elastic/beats (Go): upgrade to 8.19.9 or later; github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e or later. Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**Am I affected by CVE-2025-68388?** Check whether you run github.com/elastic/beats (Go) or github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go) at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## How to fix

- github.com/elastic/beats (Go): upgrade to 8.19.9 or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/elastic/beats@v8.19.9
  ```

- github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go): upgrade to 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e or later

  ```sh
  go get github.com/elastic/beats/v7@v7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e
  ```


## Affected products

- github.com/elastic/beats (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0, SEMVER:introduced=8.6.0,fixed=8.19.9
- github.com/elastic/beats/v7 (Go) SEMVER:introduced=0,fixed=7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e

## Identifiers

- CVE-2025-68388
- GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv
- GO-2025-4253

## Related threats

- [Packetbeat does not properly validate an array index in multiple protocol parser components](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-26933-packetbeat-does-not-properly-validate-an-array-index-in-multiple)
- [Elastic Metricbeat Prometheus remote_write denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-26931-elastic-metricbeat-prometheus-remote-write-denial-of-service)
- [GO-2026-4360 - Metricbeat affected by multiple denial of service vulnerabilities in github.com/elastic/beats](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-0528-metricbeat-affected-by-multiple-denial-of-service-vulnerabilities)
- [GO-2025-4252 - Buffer Overflow via Malformed Syslog Message or Malicious Tokenizer Pattern in github.com/elastic/beats](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2025-68383-filebeat-beats-has-buffer-overflow-via-malformed-syslog-message)
- [GO-2023-2413 - Sensitive information logged in github.com/elastic/beats/v7](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2023-49922-elastic-beats-inserts-sensitive-information-into-log-file)