CVE-2026-115297 in Packetbeat
Summary
by MITRE • 11/03/2026
NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) in the AMQP protocol parser in Packetbeat can lead to denial of service via specially crafted network traffic. An unauthenticated attacker who can send traffic on a network segment that Packetbeat monitors for AMQP can cause a Go runtime panic that terminates the Packetbeat process. A single crafted packet is sufficient. No AMQP authentication is necessary. While Packetbeat is not running, it does not collect network telemetry.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as CWE-476 represents a critical NULL pointer dereference flaw within the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol parser implemented in Elastic Packetbeat. This specific implementation error occurs when the software processes incoming AMQP traffic and fails to adequately validate pointers before attempting to access memory locations associated with those pointers. In the context of network telemetry collection tools like Packetbeat, which operate by intercepting and parsing live network packets, such a flaw is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered remotely without any prior authentication or interaction from an authorized user. The root cause lies in the handling of malformed or specifically crafted AMQP messages where expected data structures are absent or corrupted, leading the parser to reference a memory address that holds no valid value.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability results in a severe denial of service condition for the Packetbeat instance and potentially the host system upon which it resides. When an unauthenticated attacker sends a single specially crafted packet containing malformed AMQP data onto a network segment monitored by Packetbeat, the application attempts to dereference a NULL pointer during its parsing routine. This action triggers a fatal error within the Go runtime environment that powers Packetbeat. The immediate consequence is the termination of the Packetbeat process, effectively halting all network telemetry collection activities for that specific node. Since Packetbeat relies on continuous operation to gather data regarding application performance and infrastructure health, this abrupt cessation creates a significant blind spot in observability capabilities.
The attack vector associated with this flaw aligns closely with ATT&CK technique T1498, Network Denial of Service, specifically the variant involving resource exhaustion or service disruption through protocol exploitation. The attacker does not need to bypass any authentication mechanisms because the vulnerability exists at the packet parsing layer, which processes traffic before deeper application-level security checks might occur. This means that even if AMQP services require credentials for actual message delivery, the mere act of sending a malformed packet is sufficient to crash the monitoring agent. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption; it can lead to cascading failures in centralized logging and monitoring systems that depend on Packetbeat as an input source, potentially obscuring other security events or performance anomalies occurring during the downtime.
Mitigation strategies must focus on both immediate remediation and long-term architectural resilience. The primary defense is the application of vendor-provided patches or updates that address this specific NULL pointer dereference within the AMQP parser logic. Organizations running Packetbeat should prioritize upgrading to a version where this flaw has been resolved, ensuring that input validation routines are robust enough to handle malformed data gracefully without crashing. Additionally, network segmentation and access control lists can be employed to restrict which hosts or subnets are permitted to send traffic directly into monitored interfaces if possible, although the nature of promiscuous mode monitoring makes complete isolation difficult. Implementing rate limiting on AMQP ports at the network edge may also help mitigate the impact by reducing the frequency with which such crafted packets reach the vulnerable parser, thereby providing a layer of defense in depth while patch management is executed.