Vulnerabilities in pkg:golang/github.com/elastic/beats

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-68388 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) elasticsearch packetbeat has excessive allocation vulnerability (CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) affecting Github.com/elastic/beats libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves elasticsearch packetbeat has excessive allocation of memory and cpu via malicious ipv4 fragments. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3, 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e.

4 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:golang/github.com/elastic/beats

4 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:golang/github.com/elastic/beats. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv CVE-2025-68388 HIGH Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments
GHSA-2mj3-6grc-px38 CVE-2025-68383 MODERATE Filebeat Beats has Buffer Overflow via Malformed Syslog Message or Malicious Tokenizer Pattern in Dissect Configuration
GHSA-hj4r-2c9c-29h3 CVE-2023-49922 MODERATE Elastic Beats inserts sensitive information into log file
GHSA-9q3g-m353-cp4p CVE-2017-11480 HIGH Denial of Service in Packetbeat

CVE-2025-68388 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-68388
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fj69-23m4-ccvv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling
Affected Product Github.com/elastic/beats
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2025-68388

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

github.com/elastic/beats fixed: 8.19.9 
Upgrade github.com/elastic/beats to 8.19.9
github.com/elastic/beats fixed: 9.1.9 
Upgrade github.com/elastic/beats to 9.1.9
github.com/elastic/beats fixed: 9.2.3 
Upgrade github.com/elastic/beats to 9.2.3
github.com/elastic/beats/v7 fixed: 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e 
Upgrade github.com/elastic/beats/v7 to 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for github.com/elastic/beats

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2025-68388, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/elastic/beats:

inspect dependencies for github.com/elastic/beats

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/elastic/beats in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.19.9), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling, where the product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated. In Github.com/elastic/beats, 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

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.

CVE-2025-68388 Affected Github.com/elastic/beats Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.19.99.1.99.2.37.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/elastic/beats
golang/github.com/elastic/beats
Go
≥ 8.6.0
< 8.19.9
8.19.9
github.com/elastic/beats
golang/github.com/elastic/beats
Go
≥ 9.0.0
< 9.1.9
9.1.9
github.com/elastic/beats
golang/github.com/elastic/beats
Go
≥ 9.2.0
< 9.2.3
9.2.3
github.com/elastic/beats/v7
golang/github.com/elastic/beats/v7
Go
< 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e
7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e

References

NVD — CVE-2025-68388 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68388
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/elastic/beats/commit/28cfc80d2f4e80bfd1c72eb3f849d777751ab870
Github.com/elastic/beats Security Information SECURITY
https://discuss.elastic.co/t/packetbeat-8-19-9-9-1-9-and-9-2-3-security-update-esa-2025-29/384177
Github.com/elastic/beats Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/elastic/beats

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-68388?
CVE-2025-68388 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/elastic/beats involving Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling.
Which Github.com/elastic/beats versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3, 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e across affected packages: github.com/elastic/beats, github.com/elastic/beats/v7.
What version fixes CVE-2025-68388?
Upgrading to 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3, 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/elastic/beats affected?
Yes, github.com/elastic/beats is affected in releases prior to 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 8.19.9, 9.1.9, 9.2.3 or later.
Is github.com/elastic/beats/v7 affected?
Yes, github.com/elastic/beats/v7 is affected in releases prior to 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-68388?
CVE-2025-68388 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-68388?
CVE-2025-68388 is classified under CWE-770: Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling (The product allocates a reusable resource or group of resources on behalf of an actor without imposing any intended restrictions on the size or number of resources that can be allocated.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2025-68388?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/elastic/beats'. 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-fj69-23m4-ccvv",
  "modified" : "2025-12-20T17:30:15Z",
  "published" : "2025-12-19T00:31:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-68388" ],
  "summary" : "Elasticsearch Packetbeat has Excessive Allocation of Memory and CPU via Malicious IPv4 Fragments",
  "details" : "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.",
  "severity" : [ {
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    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.19.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.1.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/elastic/beats"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.2.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.2.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/elastic/beats/v7"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.0-alpha2.0.20251209162832-28cfc80d2f4e"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68388"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/beats/commit/28cfc80d2f4e80bfd1c72eb3f849d777751ab870"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.elastic.co/t/packetbeat-8-19-9-9-1-9-and-9-2-3-security-update-esa-2025-29/384177"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/elastic/beats"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-770" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-12-20T17:30:15Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-12-18T22:16:02Z"
  }
}