Vulnerability in kafka (CVE-2026-41115)
Summary
Vulnerability in kafka (CVE-2026-41115). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. Mitigation: upgrade to 4.3.1 or later.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
An improper authorization vulnerability has been identified in Apache Kafka.
The implementation of the CONSUMER_GROUP_DESCRIBE (69) API validates the DESCRIBE operation on the GROUP resource instead of the READ operation that documented in the official kafka documentation and the KIP-848. This discrepancy can result in misconfigured Access Control Lists (ACLs) and unintended security postures, like granting READ permission to users who should not be able to join/sync groups, or allowing users without READ permission (but with DESCRIBE permission) to access sensitive group metadata.
The correct permission for CONSUMER_GROUP_DESCRIBE API is DESCRIBE GROUP so the current implementation is correct. However, the kafka documentation as well as the KIP-848 will be updated to reflect the correct permission. We advise the Kafka users to review existing group ACLs to ensure the principle of least privilege.
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD GitHub Advisory
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-41115 has been found in kafka.
Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure. CVSS score: 4.3/10.
What to do: upgrade kafka to 4.3.1 or later.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "kafka CVE-2026-41115" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2026-41115 (kafka) — CWE-285 / CVSS v3 4.3
Attack vector: remote (network-reachable) / no user interaction
Patched: 4.3.1 — apply immediately
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-285) exists in kafka.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of kafka.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.3/10). Risk of unauthorized operations or information disclosure.
Update to 4.3.1.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Run grep -r 'kafka' . against your dependency files (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.sum) to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
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1Identify exposure identify
grep -r 'kafka' . | grep -v node_modulesリポジトリと本番環境の依存ファイル (package-lock.json / requirements.txt / go.sum / Gemfile.lock 等) で
kafkaを grep し、稼働しているサービス・バージョンを把握する。 -
2Apply patch patch
Upgrade kafka to 4.3.1ステージング環境で 4.3.1 に上げて回帰テスト → 本番反映。回帰テストはアプリの主要ハッピーパスを含めること。
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3Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
References
- advisory kafka.apache.org
- advisory openwall.com
- web nvd.nist.gov
- web github.com