CVE-2026-72648: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-994r-4f38-cvgv
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-526
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-72648 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses an environment variable to store unencrypted sensitive information.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2026-72648 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-72648
GHSA Identifier GHSA-994r-4f38-cvgv
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-72648

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-72648, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable, where the product uses an environment variable to store unencrypted sensitive information. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (CWE-526) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to information disclosure via Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (CAPEC-37). When ECK reconciles a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch with a service account token, the token is written into the generated workload specification in cleartext rather than being referenced from the Kubernetes Secret that ECK maintains for the other credentials on the same path. Any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected namespace can therefore read a live Elasticsearch credential, even when Kubernetes RBAC does not grant that principal access to Secrets.

References

NVD — CVE-2026-72648 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72648
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-cloud-on-kubernetes-3-5-0-security-update-esa-2026-113/389493

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-72648?
CVE-2026-72648 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2026-72648?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-72648?
CVE-2026-72648 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-72648?
CVE-2026-72648 is classified under CWE-526: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (The product uses an environment variable to store unencrypted sensitive information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-72648?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-994r-4f38-cvgv",
  "modified" : "2026-08-13T21:36:08Z",
  "published" : "2026-08-13T21:36:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-72648" ],
  "details" : "Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information in an Environment Variable (CWE-526) in Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) can lead to information disclosure via Retrieve Embedded Sensitive Data (CAPEC-37). When ECK reconciles a Fleet Server resource that authenticates to Elasticsearch with a service account token, the token is written into the generated workload specification in cleartext rather than being referenced from the Kubernetes Secret that ECK maintains for the other credentials on the same path. Any principal able to read workload specifications in the affected namespace can therefore read a live Elasticsearch credential, even when Kubernetes RBAC does not grant that principal access to Secrets.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-72648"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elastic-cloud-on-kubernetes-3-5-0-security-update-esa-2026-113/389493"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-526" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-08-13T20:17:25Z"
  }
}