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No exploitation reportedAwaiting NVD analysis

CVE-2026-115644

Apache Kafka: Connect Admin REST API Authentication Bypass via Unapplied REST Extensions

No exploitation reported by the sources we read.

  • Published2026-10-28
  • WeaknessCWE-288

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

Apache Kafka Connect contains an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting the admin REST API when admin.listeners is configured with a separate listener from the main listeners property. When operators isolate the admin REST API by explicitly configuring the "admin.listeners" property, REST extensions specified via rest.extension.classes (such as BasicAuthSecurityRestExtension) are not registered or applied to the admin resource configuration. While the primary REST API listener (configured via listeners) enforces configured authentication and authorization filters, endpoints mounted under the separate admin listener (/admin/loggers) fail to inherit or instantiate these extension filters. As a result, the admin logger endpoint accepts unauthenticated read and write requests even when security extensions are active on the main listener. Impact: An unauthenticated attacker with network access to the admin listener can: 1. Read the complete set of logger names and levels, disclosing loaded class names and which security extensions are in use. 2. Write logger levels, including with scope=cluster which propagates the change to all workers in the Connect cluster. This can be used to suppress logging (setting root to OFF) or generate excessive log output (setting root to TRACE), potentially impacting availability and observability. Mitigation: Users who cannot upgrade immediately can remove the admin.listeners configuration (or leave it unset). When unset, admin resources share the regular listener and inherit its security extensions. Resolution: From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.4.0, we make sure the REST extensions specified via "rest.extension.classes" will also apply to "admin.listeners".

Timeline

dates in UTC
  1. 2026-10-2816:45CVE 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:connect-runtimehttps://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2

    Affected
    • ≥ 2.4.0, < 4.2.2fixed in 4.2.2semver
    • ≥ 4.3.0, < 4.3.2fixed in 4.3.2semver

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

Vendor advisories

  • CVE-2026-115644 Red Hat Product Security3 known affected

    org.apache.kafka/connect-runtime: Apache Kafka Connect: Authentication bypass via separate admin listener

    connect-runtime as a component of Red Hat build of Debezium 3 · connect-runtime as a component of Red Hat Fuse 7 · connect-runtime as a component of streams for Apache Kafka 3

Full record on NVD

Fix

  1. Workaround from the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-115644 · 3 productsTo mitigate this vulnerability, remove or comment out the `admin.listeners` property in the Kafka Connect worker configuration file (`connect-distributed.properties` or `connect-standalone.properties`). When `admin.listeners` is unset, administrative endpoints share the primary listener interface a…
  2. No fix available, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-115644 · 2 productsFix deferred
  3. No fix planned, says the vendor Red Hat Product Security CVE-2026-115644 · 1 productOut of support scope

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:H/A:H
Published
2026-10-28
Last Modified
2026-11-05
NVD status
Awaiting Analysis
GitHub Advisory
GHSA-jmxh-862m-3gxj

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-115644?

Apache Kafka Connect contains an authentication bypass vulnerability affecting the admin REST API when admin.listeners is configured with a separate listener from the main listeners property. When operators isolate the admin REST API by explicitly configuring the "admin.listeners" property, REST extensions specified via rest.extension.classes (such as BasicAuthSecurityRestExtension) are not registered or applied to the admin resource configuration. While the primary REST API listener (configured via listeners) enforces configured authentication and authorization filters, endpoints mounted under the separate admin listener (/admin/loggers) fail to inherit or instantiate these extension filters. As a result, the admin logger endpoint accepts unauthenticated read and write requests even when security extensions are active on the main listener. Impact: An unauthenticated attacker with network access to the admin listener can: 1. Read the complete set of logger names and levels, disclosing loaded class names and which security extensions are in use. 2. Write logger levels, including with scope=cluster which propagates the change to all workers in the Connect cluster. This can be used to suppress logging (setting root to OFF) or generate excessive log output (setting root to TRACE), potentially impacting availability and observability. Mitigation: Users who cannot upgrade immediately can remove the admin.listeners configuration (or leave it unset). When unset, admin resources share the regular listener and inherit its security extensions. Resolution: From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.4.0, we make sure the REST extensions specified via "rest.extension.classes" will also apply to "admin.listeners".

Is CVE-2026-115644 actively exploited?

Active exploitation of CVE-2026-115644 has not been confirmed. Its EPSS score was 0.3% on 2026-11-05, the estimated probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2026-115644?

CVE-2026-115644 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (HIGH severity), with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

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