Go to homepageCyberStrike

Menu

Star on GitHub · 3.4k
Sign inDownload

CVE-2026-78604

7.8 · HIGH

Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732) in Elastic Agent can lead to local privilege escalation via Replace Binaries (CAPEC-642).

Published Sep 2, 2026elasticCWE-732EPSS 0.15%

Overview

CVE-2026-78604 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting elastic elastic_agent. It was published on September 2, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732) in Elastic Agent can lead to local privilege escalation via Replace Binaries (CAPEC-642). On Windows systems where Elastic Agent is installed in unprivileged mode, resources used by the agent service are created with access controls broader than required. A local user could take advantage of this to cause the service to execute code of their choosing, ultimately obtaining SYSTEM-level privileges on the host.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from elastic. Update elastic_agent to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected products

VendorProductVersionsStatus
elasticelastic_agent>= 8.0.0, < 8.19.21Affected

References

Refdiscuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-agent-8-19-21-9-4-6-9-5-2-security-update-esa-2026-150/390109

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-78604?

CVE-2026-78604 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting elastic elastic_agent. It was published on September 2, 2026 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2026-78604?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2026-78604?

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from elastic. Update elastic_agent to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2026-78604?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2026-78604 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

Related HIGH CVEs from 2026

View all
Browse by year2026202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999
LiveWatch live →