Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

7.5 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS

• CVE-2025-68388: 0.41% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 35.48 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

Allocation of resources without limits or throttling (CWE-770) allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to cause excessive allocation (CAPEC-130) of memory and CPU via the integration of malicious IPv4 fragments, leading to denial-of-service in Packetbeat.

Published by the source

19 Dec 2025, 00:31 UTC

Last modified by the source

20 Dec 2025, 17:30 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 15:13 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2025-68388

Advisory: Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments
IDs: CVE-2025-68388, GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2025-68388 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 15:13 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.5)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: github.com/elastic/beats 9.2.3, 9.1.9, 8.19.9; github.com/elastic/beats/v7 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Go github.com/elastic/beats: affected >= 8.6.0, < 8.19.9; >= 9.0.0, < 9.1.9; >= 9.2.0, < 9.2.3; fixed in 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3
- Go github.com/elastic/beats/v7: affected < 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e; fixed in 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Go github.com/elastic/beats: check the installed version with your package manager.
- Go github.com/elastic/beats/v7: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on github.com/elastic/beats, github.com/elastic/beats/v7.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv lists affected ranges: Go github.com/elastic/beats >=8.6.0 =9.0.0 =9.2.0 =0 <7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e)

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