CVE-2026-78604

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Incorrect Permission Assignment in Elastic Agent Leads to Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-09-02

Last updated on: 2026-09-04

Assigner: Elastic

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.

CVSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-09-02

Last Modified

2026-09-04

Generated

2026-09-15

AI Q&A

2026-09-02

EPSS Evaluated

2026-09-14

NVD

CVE-2026-78604

EUVD

EUVD-2026-70057

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
elastic	elastic_agent	From 8.0.0 (inc) to 8.19.21 (exc)
elastic	elastic_agent	From 9.0.0 (inc) to 9.4.6 (exc)
elastic	elastic_agent	From 9.5.0 (inc) to 9.5.2 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-732	The product specifies permissions for a security-critical resource in a way that allows that resource to be read or modified by unintended actors.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Elastic Agent on Windows systems. It occurs when the agent is installed in unprivileged mode, causing critical resources to have overly permissive access controls. A local attacker can exploit this to manipulate the agent service into executing arbitrary code, gaining SYSTEM-level privileges on the host.

Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, check the installed Elastic Agent version on Windows systems using: 'elastic-agent version'. If the version is 8.19.20 or below (8.x), 9.4.5 or below (9.x), or 9.5.1 or below (9.x), the system is vulnerable.

Impact Analysis

If you use Elastic Agent on Windows in unprivileged mode, a local attacker could exploit this flaw to gain full control over your system. This could allow them to install malware, steal data, or perform other malicious actions with SYSTEM privileges.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability primarily impacts compliance by increasing the risk of unauthorized SYSTEM-level access on Windows systems where Elastic Agent is installed in unprivileged mode. Unauthorized privilege escalation could lead to data breaches, unauthorized data access, or manipulation, which are critical violations under GDPR and HIPAA. The flaw enables attackers to gain full control over affected systems, potentially exposing sensitive personal or health data.

Mitigation Strategies

Upgrade Elastic Agent to versions 8.19.21, 9.4.6, or 9.5.2. If upgrading is not possible, avoid unprivileged installations on Windows or switch to privileged mode to mitigate the risk.

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