CVE Intelligence
Unknown Access control

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

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.

Published Oct 28, 2026 · Updated Oct 29, 2026 · Sources: CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, NIST National Vulnerability Database, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: apache

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+2

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.22%
ahead of 13% of scored CVEs · Oct 29, 2026
Affects
Apache Software Foundation
Kafka
CVSS base
—
Score not published yet.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Apache Software Foundation Kafka).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Apache Software Foundation Kafka ≥ 3.2.0 and ≤ 4.1.2≥ 4.2.0 and ≤ 4.2.1≥ 4.3.0 and ≤ 4.3.1 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-862 · Missing Authorization

Other CVEs with this weakness →

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
authentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Source status changed · Received → Awaiting Analysis
    Oct 29, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · Published → Received
    Oct 28, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record published
    Oct 28, 2026
  • Affected products added · apache software foundation/apache kafka
    Oct 28, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Source status changed · → Published
    Oct 28, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 28, 2026 · Alertas do Telegram
  • CVE published
    Oct 28, 2026 · apache

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 28, 2026 – Oct 29, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 28, 2026 – Oct 28, 2026

References

3 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Apache Software Foundation
every CVE for this vendor
Access control
same class
CWE-862
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-83525 Apache Kafka: Incorrect boolean operator in FetchSnapshot RPC handler allows authenticated network clients to crash the KRaft controller via a malformed request. 2d
  • CVE-2026-115644 Apache Kafka: Connect Admin REST API Authentication Bypass via Unapplied REST Extensions 2d
  • CVE-2026-116593 Apache Kafka: Kafka Connect configuration provider values exposed via validation REST API endpoint 2d
  • CVE-2026-114349 Apache Kafka: Denial of service via unbounded memory allocation when decoding compressed record batches 2d
  • CVE-2026-111551 Apache Kafka: Denial of service in Kafka Streams and client deserializers via unbounded memory allocation 2d
  • CVE-2026-111496 Apache Kafka: Kafka Streams StreamThread hang from integer overflow in stream-time punctuation 2d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No CVSS score published by NVD, the CNA, CISA or GitHub so far.
  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2026-112375 is "Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs", rated Unknown. It affects Kafka (Apache Software Foundation); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. EPSS 0.22% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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