Apache Pulsar C++/Python OAuth Clients prior to 3.0.0 were vulnerable to an MITM attack due to Disabled Certificate Validation
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 32/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.77% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 54.9% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
- Fixed version: pulsar-client (PyPI) 2.10.2, 2.8.4, 2.9.3.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to pulsar-client (PyPI) 2.10.2, 2.8.4, 2.9.3 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
The Apache Pulsar C++ Client does not verify peer TLS certificates when making HTTPS calls for the OAuth2.0 Client Credential Flow, even when tlsAllowInsecureConnection is disabled via configuration. This vulnerability allows an attacker to perform a man in the middle attack and intercept and/or modify the GET request that is sent to the ClientCredentialFlow 'issuer url'. The intercepted credentials can be used to acquire authentication data from the OAuth2.0 server to then authenticate with an Apache Pulsar cluster. An attacker can only take advantage of this vulnerability by taking control of a machine 'between' the client and the server. The attacker must then actively manipulate traffic to perform the attack. The Apache Pulsar Python Client wraps the C++ client, so it is also vulnerable in the same way. This issue affects Apache Pulsar C++ Client and Python Client versions 2.7.0 to 2.7.4; 2.8.0 to 2.8.3; 2.9.0 to 2.9.2; 2.10.0 to 2.10.1; 2.6.4 and earlier. Any users running affected versions of the C++ Client or the Python Client should rotate vulnerable OAuth2.0 credentials, including client_id and client_secret. 2.7 C++ and Python Client users should upgrade to 2.7.5 and rotate vulnerable OAuth2.0 credentials. 2.8 C++ and Python Client users should upgrade to 2.8.4 and rotate vulnerable OAuth2.0 credentials. 2.9 C++ and Python Client users should upgrade to 2.9.3 and rotate vulnerable OAuth2.0 credentials. 2.10 C++ and Python Client users should upgrade to 2.10.2 and rotate vulnerable OAuth2.0 credentials. 3.0 C++ users are unaffected and 3.0 Python Client users will be unaffected when it is released. Any users running the C++ and Python Client for 2.6 or less should upgrade to one of the above patched versions.
- Published
- Nov 4, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.7% · 54th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-295
Report tools
Action score
32
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 32 / 40 · 8.1 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.7%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| apache | pulsar | cpe:2.3:a:apache:pulsar |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- apache pulsarup to 2.6.4 inclusive
- apache pulsar2.7.0 and later · before 2.7.5
- apache pulsar2.8.0 and later · before 2.8.4
- apache pulsar2.9.0 and later · before 2.9.3
- apache pulsar2.10.0 and later · before 2.10.2
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar
- 2.7 and later · up to and including 2.7.4affected
- 2.8 and later · up to and including 2.8.3affected
- 2.9 and later · up to and including 2.9.2affected
- 2.10 and later · up to and including 2.10.1affected
- 2.6 and earlier and later · up to and including 2.6.4affected
- 3.0.0 and later · before 3.0*not affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| PyPI | pulsar-client | from 2.10.0 · before 2.10.2 | 2.10.2 |
| PyPI | pulsar-client | from 2.8.0 · before 2.8.4 | 2.8.4 |
| PyPI | pulsar-client | from 2.9.0 · before 2.9.3 | 2.9.3 |
| PyPI | pulsar-client | before 2.7.5 | 2.7.5 |
Same product
apache: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2024-27317Apache Pulsar: Pulsar Functions Worker's Archive Extraction Vulnerability Allows Unauthorized File Modification56Plan
- CVE-2021-22160Authentication with JWT allows use of “none”-algorithm55Plan
- CVE-2024-27135Apache Pulsar: Improper Input Validation in Pulsar Function Worker allows Remote Code Execution41Plan
- CVE-2024-27894Apache Pulsar: Pulsar Functions Worker Allows Unauthorized File Access and Unauthorized HTTP/HTTPS Proxying36Monitor
- CVE-2023-30429Apache Pulsar: Incorrect Authorization for Function Worker when using mTLS Authentication through Pulsar Proxy35Monitor
- CVE-2022-34321Apache Pulsar: Improper Authentication for Pulsar Proxy Statistics Endpoint33Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PyPI:pulsar-client | 2.10.2 | Package registry (OSV) |
| PyPI:pulsar-client | 2.7.5 | Package registry (OSV) |
| PyPI:pulsar-client | 2.8.4 | Package registry (OSV) |
| PyPI:pulsar-client | 2.9.3 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-295 · Improper Certificate ValidationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
A certificate validation error is silently swallowed instead of terminating the connection. Often, code added for a test environment makes its way into production.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-295 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
override fun checkServerTrusted(chain: Array<X509Certificate>, type: String) { // Left empty for the test environment}Fixed
val client = OkHttpClient.Builder() .certificatePinner( CertificatePinner.Builder() .add("api.sirius.example", "sha256/…") .build() ).build()Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.