CVE-2026-78604: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732) in Elastic Agent can lead to local privilege e

Routine

HIGH 7.8UPGRADE

CVE-2026-78604 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.8) affecting elastic agent. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

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-leve

Why this priority

High severity

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.1% (top 96%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-732
Published	2026-09-02
Last modified	2026-09-04

Publisher (CNA): Elastic · Vendor: elastic

Last updated 2026-09-04 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2026-09-02 15:17 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-09-04 16:44 UTCUpdated Record last modified

elastic elastic agent UPGRADE

Affected: >= 8.0.0 and < 8.19.21 · >= 9.0.0 and < 9.4.6 · >= 9.5.0 and < 9.5.2

Fixed in: 8.19.21, 9.4.6, 9.5.2

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 8.0.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy elastic-agent || rpm -q elastic-agent || elastic-agent --version

2. UPGRADE to 8.19.21 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade elastic-agent

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade elastic-agent

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

3. If no update is available yet, DOWNGRADE to a release before 8.0.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison elastic-agent sudo apt install elastic-agent=<VERSION_BEFORE_8.0.0> sudo apt-mark hold elastic-agent

3. If no update is available yet, DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list elastic-agent sudo dnf downgrade elastic-agent-<VERSION_BEFORE_8.0.0> sudo dnf versionlock add elastic-agent

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2026-78604?

elastic agent: upgrade to 8.19.21, 9.4.6, 9.5.2. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2026-78604 being exploited?

CVE-2026-78604 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2026-78604 affect?

CVE-2026-78604 affects elastic agent. Severity is high (CVSS 7.8). 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 us

How urgent is CVE-2026-78604?

Priority 28/100. High severity

Software pages

Windows vulnerabilities

References

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