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🛡️ CVE-2026-33557 — kafka

🔴 CVSS 9.5 — Critical ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-1285 OSV
9.5
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Apache Kafka does not validate JWT tokens in its OAUTHBEARER authentication implementation

A security vulnerability has been identified in Apache Kafka. By default, the broker property sasl.oauthbearer.jwt.validator.class is set to org.apache.kafka.common.security.oauthbearer.DefaultJwtValidator. It accepts any JWT token without validating its signature, issuer, or audience. An attacker can generate a JWT token from any issuer with the preferred_username set to any user, and the broker will accept it.

Apache advises Kafka users using kafka v4.1.0 or v4.1.1 to set the config sasl.oauthbearer.jwt.validator.class to org.apache.kafka.common.security.oauthbearer.BrokerJwtValidator explicitly to avoid this vulnerability. Since Kafka v4.1.2 and v4.2.0 and later, the issue is fixed and will correctly validate the JWT token.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability none.

CVSS metrics in full

The score comes from this vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

  • Attack vector: Network — reachable from anywhere that can route to the service.
  • Attack complexity: Low — the attack works reliably, with no preparation.
  • Privileges required: None — an unauthenticated stranger can try it.
  • User interaction: None — nobody has to be tricked into anything.
  • Scope: Unchanged — the damage stays inside the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Integrity impact: High — total loss, or loss the attacker controls.
  • Availability impact: None.

Weakness class

CVE-2026-33557 is classified as CWE-1285: Improper Validation of Specified Index, Position, or Offset in Input. The product receives input that is expected to specify an index, position, or offset into an indexable resource such as a buffer or file, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the specified index/position/offset has the required properties.

Affected software

CVE-2026-33557 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • kafka
  • org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients (from 4.1.0 up to 4.1.2)

Timeline and source

Published on 22 April 2026 and last revised on 15 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from OSV.

References

www.openwall.com (Web)
kafka.apache.org (Web)
lists.apache.org (Web)
nvd.nist.gov (Web)
access.redhat.com (Web)
bugzilla.redhat.com (Web)
security.access.redhat.com (Web)

Other advisories for this package

kafka has other advisories on record. If you are patching this one, these are worth checking on the same host:

Same weakness in other software

These advisories are the same class of weakness (CWE-1285: Improper Validation of Specified Index, Position, or Offset in Input) in other software:

CVE-2026-33557 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity CRITICAL
CVSS Score 9.5
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CWE CWE-1285
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source OSV
Published 2026-04-22
Updated 2026-08-20
Modified 2026-07-15
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
kafka — —
org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients 4.1.0 4.1.2

Exploit Protection

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CVE-2026-33557 carries CVSS 9.5 Critical rating. BotEraser checks your installation against this and other known CVE records, and blocks IPs associated with exploit activity.

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ⓘ Data Notice: The information presented above has been compiled from publicly available internet sources. Boteraser aggregates this data solely for informational purposes and does not independently classify, evaluate, or endorse any findings about the vulnerabilities listed. The accuracy and completeness of this information is the sole responsibility of the original publishers. Boteraser and its operators accept no liability for any decisions made based on this data.

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