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CVE.org (no NVD analysis yet)· CNA apache

CVE-2026-115644: Apache Kafka: Connect Admin REST API Authentication Bypass via Unapplied REST Extensions

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)

  • 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: 0.52% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2 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

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".

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Oct 28, 2026
Updated
Nov 5, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 44th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

35

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

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  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

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When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
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  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

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Affected 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.

—

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 Kafka

    • 2.4.0 and later · before 4.2.2affected · semver
    • 4.3.0 and later · before 4.3.2affected · semver

Same product

apache software foundation: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-111496Apache Kafka: Kafka Streams StreamThread hang from integer overflow in stream-time punctuation
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-111115Apache Kafka: Broker OutOfMemoryError via tagged-field allocation amplification in flexible protocol request parsing
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2026-111108Apache Kafka: Broker OutOfMemoryError via array allocation amplification in code-generated protocol readers
    36Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-112375Oct 28, 2026 · Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs
    26Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-114349Oct 28, 2026 · Apache Kafka: Denial of service via unbounded memory allocation when decoding compressed record batches
    26Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-116593Oct 28, 2026 · Apache Kafka: Kafka Connect configuration provider values exposed via validation REST API endpoint
    32Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache Kafka4.2.2Vendor (CNA)
Apache Software Foundation Apache Kafka4.3.2Vendor (CNA)

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.

  1. Published
  2. Fix recordedsame day
  3. TodayNov 10, 2026+13 d
EPSS, last 120 days

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 researchers

Finders, 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.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

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
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-288 · Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

  1. CVSS— → 8.8
  2. Severity— → high
  3. SSVC exploitation— → none
  4. Exploit maturity— → none
  5. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (1 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records