Apache Kafka Vulnerability Let Attackers Escalate Privileges

A newly identified vulnerability tracked as CVE-2024-31141, has been discovered in Apache Kafka Clients that could allow attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized filesystem read access.

This vulnerability, rated as Moderate in severity, affects multiple versions of Apache Kafka Clients and has raised concerns in environments where applications are exposed to untrusted users, such as SaaS products.

Affected Versions

This vulnerability impacts the following versions of Apache Kafka Clients:

Product	Affected Versions
Apache Kafka Clients	2.3.0 through 3.5.2
Apache Kafka Clients	3.6.0 through 3.6.2
Apache Kafka Clients	3.7.0 through 3.7.1

Maximizing Cybersecurity ROI: Expert Tips for SME & MSP Leaders – Attend Free Webinar

Apache Kafka Vulnerability

The vulnerability stems from improper privilege management in Apache Kafka Clients, specifically in how external configuration providers (ConfigProviders) are handled.

Kafka Clients allow custom configurations using ConfigProvider plugins, which include implementations like FileConfigProvider, DirectoryConfigProvider, and EnvVarConfigProvider.

According to Apache report, These plugins can access sensitive data from the filesystem or environment variables. If an untrusted user can specify Kafka Client configurations, they may exploit this vulnerability to read arbitrary files and environment variables.

This is particularly dangerous in services like Apache Kafka Connect, where attackers could escalate from REST API access to filesystem/environment access.

In environments such as SaaS products, where multiple users interact with Apache Kafka through APIs, this vulnerability can be exploited to access sensitive data stored on the disk or in environment variables.

Attackers with access to the Kafka Connect REST API could potentially gain unauthorized access to the underlying system’s filesystem.

Are you from SOC/DFIR Teams? – Analyse Malware Files & Links with ANY.RUN -> Try for Free