How severe is CVE-2026-78609?

CVE-2026-78609 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2026-78609 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-78609?

CVE-2026-78609 affects Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-78609?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2026-78609 published?

CVE-2026-78609 was published on 2026-09-02 and last updated on 2026-09-04.

CVE-2026-78609

CVE-2026-78609 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.4. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-863.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.4)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (4th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-863
Affected product: Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes
Published: 2026-09-02
Last modified: 2026-09-04

Description

Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to unauthorized modification of data via Metadata Spoofing (CAPEC-690). An actor holding limited Kubernetes permissions confined to a single namespace could cause attacker-controlled certificate material to be included in the Elasticsearch client trust bundle managed by ECK in a separate namespace.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-78609?: Incorrect Authorization (CWE-863) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to unauthorized modification of data via Metadata Spoofing (CAPEC-690). An actor holding limited Kubernetes permissions confined to a single namespace could cause attacker-controlled certificate material to be included in the Elasticsearch client trust bundle managed by ECK in a separate namespace.
How severe is CVE-2026-78609?: CVE-2026-78609 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.4, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2026-78609 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-78609?: CVE-2026-78609 affects Elastic Elastic Cloud On Kubernetes. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-78609?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2026-78609 published?: CVE-2026-78609 was published on 2026-09-02 and last updated on 2026-09-04.

References

https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-cloud-on-kubernetes-3-5-0-security-update-esa-2026-145/390105

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:elastic:elastic_cloud_on_kubernetes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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