# CVE-2026-94396: Elasticsearch denial of service via uncontrolled resource consumption

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-94396-uncontrolled-resource-consumption-cwe-400-in-elasticsearch-can  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2026-09-26. Updated: 2026-09-26  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2026-94396 · Severity: medium · CVSS 6.5 · Published 2026-09-26

Elasticsearch, a search and analytics engine used in many enterprise systems, contains a flaw that allows authenticated users to trigger excessive resource allocation, causing the service to become unavailable. An attacker with valid credentials could exploit this to disrupt business operations by making Elasticsearch unresponsive to legitimate requests.

Technologies: [Elasticsearch](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/elasticsearch). Vendors: [Elastic](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/elastic).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2026-94396 exploited in the wild?** No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2026-94396 being exploited in the wild.

**How severe is CVE-2026-94396?** Medium severity, with a CVSS score of 6.5, published 26 September 2026.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Elasticsearch 9.2.0 to 9.4.6, 9.5.0 to 9.5.3.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2026-94396?** A patch was published on 2026-09-25: Fixed in versions 9.4.7 and 9.5.4 Junglewise finds every place you run it, drafts the upgrade and applies it once you approve.

**How is CVE-2026-94396 attacked?** It is attacked over the network, in a hosted service.

**Am I affected by CVE-2026-94396?** Check whether you run Elasticsearch 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.

## Technical details

Uncontrolled resource consumption (CWE-400) in Elasticsearch permits authenticated attackers to allocate excessive resources, leading to denial of service. The vulnerability requires login credentials (PR:L) and network access. Fixes are available in versions 9.4.7 and 9.5.4; no workarounds exist for affected versions.

## Affected products

- Elastic Elasticsearch 9.2.0 to 9.4.6, 9.5.0 to 9.5.3

## Timeline

- 2026-09-25: disclosed
- 2026-09-25: patched: Fixed in versions 9.4.7 and 9.5.4

## References

- [https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-9-4-7-9-5-4-security-update-esa-2026-182/390686](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-9-4-7-9-5-4-security-update-esa-2026-182/390686)

## Related threats

- [Elasticsearch denial of service in phonetic analysis encoders](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115715-allocation-of-resources-without-limits-or-throttling-cwe-770-in)
- [Elasticsearch cache information disclosure via field-level security bypass](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115710-use-of-cache-containing-sensitive-information-cwe-524-in)
- [Elasticsearch incorrect authorization in field-level security](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115298-incorrect-authorization-cwe-863-in-elasticsearch-can-lead-to)
- [Elasticsearch uncontrolled recursion denial of service](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-115290-uncontrolled-recursion-cwe-674-in-elasticsearch-can-lead-to)
- [Elasticsearch authorization bypass in cross-cluster search](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-103009-authorization-bypass-through-user-controlled-key-cwe-639-in)