What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-116593: Apache Kafka: Kafka Connect configuration provider values exposed via validation REST API endpoint

• Severity: unknown
• Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
• EPSS: 0.2% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
• Public exploit or detection template: none known
• Published: 2026-10-28 · updated 2026-10-30

Description

Apache Kafka Connect has the /connector-plugins/{connector-type}/config/validate endpoint on its REST API to validate connector configurations. Apache Kafka Connect also support Configuration Providers which enable to hide the values of sensitive configuration and only resolve them at runtime.  An attacker with access to the validate endpoint can use it to resolve and return plaintext values via any of the configuration providers installed on a Connect worker. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0 or above, which fix this issue.

Affected products

• Apache Kafka: from 2.4.0 before 4.2.2; from 4.3.0 before 4.3.2 — fixed in 4.2.2, 4.3.2

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

• https://kafka.apache.org/cve-list
• https://lists.apache.org/thread/ylblfrfk1bspy9zh2j6dz8o2pkn6s9g0
• http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/28/16

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