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Medium 2 vendors · 2 advisories

CVE-2026-112375: Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs

CVE-2026-112375 key facts

CISA KEV
Not listed (catalogue checked )
Highest advisory rating
Medium
CVSS base score
6.5 (Red Hat)
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N · base score 6.5, scored by CISA-ADPAttack vector: network. Attack complexity: low. Privileges required: low. User interaction: none. Scope: unchanged. Confidentiality impact: high. Integrity impact: none. Availability impact: none.
Weakness
  • CWE-862 Missing Authorization
CISA SSVC
Exploitation: none observed. Automatable: no. Technical impact: partial. CISA, .
Fixed releases
  • Apache: 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0
  • Red Hat: 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0
Vendor advisories
2 from Apache, Red Hat
Assigned by
apache (CNA)
CVE record published
Listed by VulniPulse
Record changed

Ratings, versions and fixes are quoted from the vendor advisories that cover only CVE-2026-112375; each belongs to its advisory, not to every product listed. How records are collected and checked.

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.

Text from the CVE.org record (apache).

How do I fix CVE-2026-112375?

Upgrade to a fixed release named by the vendor:

  • Apache: 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0
  • Red Hat: 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0
  • Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0. (Apache)

Vendor advisories for CVE-2026-112375

Apache

1 advisory
  • Advisory severityUnrated

    Advisory [CVE-2026-112375] Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs

    CVE-2026-112375Source published Source updated

    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…

    Affected products in this advisory
    • Apache Kafka
    Source-reported affected versions
    • Apache Kafka 3.2.0 through 4.1.2
    • Apache Kafka 4.2.0 through 4.2.1
    • Apache Kafka 4.3.0 through 4.3.1
    Source-reported fixed versions
    • 4.2.2
    • 4.3.2
    • 4.4.0
    Mitigation guidance
    • Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0.
    Full advisory and evidenceOpen source bulletin

Red Hat

1 advisory

References

Timeline

  1. CVE record published
  2. First vendor advisory listed by VulniPulse
  3. CVE record last updated

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