CVE-2026-112375: Apache Kafka: Unauthorized principal can read arbitrary broker files via IncrementalAlterConfigs
- Is it exploited?
Not on CISA's list. CISA has not added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as of . If CISA adds it, this page shows it as known exploited.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 0.2%
EPSS score, percentile 13 of all scored records. A probability estimated by FIRST, not a report of exploitation.
- How severe?
- Not scored
The CVE record carries no CVSS score.
- What should I do?
CISA has set no required action, because the vulnerability is not in KEV.
- Which versions are affected?
Affected
- 3.2.0 through 4.1.2
- 4.2.0 through 4.2.1
- 4.3.0 through 4.3.1
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of ; CVE List, as of . About the data.
What to do
Advisories and patches
This summary is based on the CVE record as of . Check the vendor's advisory before you act: affected versions and fixes can change.
Affected products and versions
As listed in the CVE record.
| Status | Versions |
|---|---|
| Affected | 3.2.0 through 4.1.2 |
| Affected | 4.2.0 through 4.2.1 |
| Affected | 4.3.0 through 4.3.1 |
Versions not listed are: unaffected.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
About this vulnerability
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 config…
Summary: CVE record, as of .
- CISA has not added CVE-2026-112375 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, as of 29 Oct 2026.
- The CVE record was published on 28 Oct 2026.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.2% (percentile 13), as of 29 Oct 2026. EPSS is a statistical estimate, not a report of exploitation.
- The credits in the CVE record name Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI as finder.
Source: CISA KEV 2026.10.29, as of ; CVE List, as of ; FIRST EPSS, as of . About the data.
Description
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.
Source: CVE List, as of . About the data.
Weakness
CWE-862
- CWE-862: Missing Authorization
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| CVE record published |
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