CVE-2026-59278: In Spring for Apache Kafka, SSRF via DNS resolution triggered by untrusted java.net types in header mapper default trusted packages

Severity: medium (CVSS 6.5 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-08-27 · updated 2026-09-01
Weakness: CWE-918

Description

JsonKafkaHeaderMapper and DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper include java.net in their default trusted packages list. When these mappers are used — which is the default configuration for all @KafkaListener consumers — an external Kafka producer can inject a java.net.InetAddress type via the spring_json_header_types message header. Spring for Apache Kafka 4.1.0 Spring for Apache Kafka 4.0.0 - 4.0.6 Spring for Apache Kafka 3.0.0 - 3.3.16 Spring for Apache Kafka 2.9.0 - 2.9.14 Spring for Apache Kafka 2.8.12 and earlier

Affected products

Spring for Apache Kafka: before 2.8.13; from 2.9.0 before 2.9.15; from 3.0.0 before 3.3.17; from 4.0.0 before 4.0.6.1; from 4.1.0 before 4.1.0.1 — fixed in 2.8.13, 2.9.15, 3.3.17, 4.0.6.1, 4.1.0.1
Spring for Apache Kafka: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.6; from 3.0.0 through 3.3.16; from 2.9.0 through 2.9.14; through 2.8.12; 4.1.0

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Spring for Apache Kafka 2.8.13, 2.9.15, 3.3.17, 4.0.6.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-59278

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