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No exploitation reportedAwaiting NVD analysis

CVE-2026-112375

Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2026-10-28
  • WeaknessCWE-862

Am I affected?

With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.

Description

An authenticated Kafka principal with no authorization grants (not even ALTER_CONFIGS) can make a broker read a file or an environment variable from the broker host and return its contents. An IncrementalAlterConfigs (or AlterConfigs) request targeting a BROKER resource reaches the broker's configuration validation before any authorization check is applied to that path. Validation resolves configuration variables such as ${file:/path:key} or ${env:VAR} using a ConfigProvider named in the request, and this resolution bypasses the org.apache.kafka.automatic.config.providers allowlist that was added as the mitigation for CVE-2024-31141. An arbitrary ConfigProvider (for example FileConfigProvider or EnvVarConfigProvider) is therefore instantiated and the referenced file or environment variable is read, and a type-validation error returns the resolved content to the caller. Impact: On a cluster with an authorizer enabled, an authenticated principal with no authorization grants can read the contents of files accessible to the broker process, and the broker's environment variables, exposing credentials, keystores, or other secrets, defeating the CVE-2024-31141 allowlist. The read is bounded by the broker process's file permissions. The brokers and the cluster remain available; the issue is disclosure of file and environment- variable contents. Clusters with no authorizer configured are not affected in practice, because every principal already holds ALTER_CONFIGS there. Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0. As defense in depth, run brokers under a least-privileged operating-system account so that sensitive files are not readable by the broker process. Resolution: From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.4.0: broker configuration changes are authorized (ALTER_CONFIGS on the cluster) before the configuration is validated, and configuration- variable resolution enforces the config-providers allowlist.

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2026-10-2816:46CVE publishedCNA

Versions per branch

Products declared by the CNA1 product

As apache, the CNA that assigned this CVE, declared them in the CVE record; versions as written.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Kafkaother versions: not affected

    package org.apache.kafka:kafkahttps://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2

    Affected
    • ≥ 3.2.0, ≤ 4.1.2no fix statedsemver
    • ≥ 4.2.0, ≤ 4.2.1no fix statedsemver
    • ≥ 4.3.0, ≤ 4.3.1no fix statedsemver

Source: the CNA record (CVE Program), © The MITRE Corporation,CVE Terms of UseCVE recordupdated 2026-10-28

Distribution builds and vendor advisories

Packages from OSV.dev and products from the vendors' CSAF advisories.

version not verifiedVersions not verified: read as OSV.dev and the vendors publish them, not checked against each vendor's release list.

Packages

  • kafkaUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTSall versions · no fixed version listed

Full record on NVD

Fix

No fix published by the sources we read yet. NVD record

Detection

Nuclei template
none so far
ProjectDiscovery
Exploit-DB
no entry
Exploit-DB
Proof of concept
Metasploit modules
none listed
Metasploit Framework

Sources

Identifiers

Technical details

CVSS v3 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Published
2026-10-28
Last Modified
2026-11-05
NVD status
Awaiting Analysis
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-pvjw-82p3-hmj7

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-112375?

An authenticated Kafka principal with no authorization grants (not even ALTER_CONFIGS) can make a broker read a file or an environment variable from the broker host and return its contents. An IncrementalAlterConfigs (or AlterConfigs) request targeting a BROKER resource reaches the broker's configuration validation before any authorization check is applied to that path. Validation resolves configuration variables such as ${file:/path:key} or ${env:VAR} using a ConfigProvider named in the request, and this resolution bypasses the org.apache.kafka.automatic.config.providers allowlist that was added as the mitigation for CVE-2024-31141. An arbitrary ConfigProvider (for example FileConfigProvider or EnvVarConfigProvider) is therefore instantiated and the referenced file or environment variable is read, and a type-validation error returns the resolved content to the caller. Impact: On a cluster with an authorizer enabled, an authenticated principal with no authorization grants can read the contents of files accessible to the broker process, and the broker's environment variables, exposing credentials, keystores, or other secrets, defeating the CVE-2024-31141 allowlist. The read is bounded by the broker process's file permissions. The brokers and the cluster remain available; the issue is disclosure of file and environment- variable contents. Clusters with no authorizer configured are not affected in practice, because every principal already holds ALTER_CONFIGS there. Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0. As defense in depth, run brokers under a least-privileged operating-system account so that sensitive files are not readable by the broker process. Resolution: From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.4.0: broker configuration changes are authorized (ALTER_CONFIGS on the cluster) before the configuration is validated, and configuration- variable resolution enforces the config-providers allowlist.

Is CVE-2026-112375 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2026-112375 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 0.2% on 2026-11-05, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-112375?

CVE-2026-112375 has a CVSS v3 base score of 6.5 (MEDIUM severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.

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