CVE-2024-31141 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Apache Kafka clients, specifically versions from 2.3.0 through 3.5.2, 3.6.2, and 3.7.0. This vulnerability allows attackers to exploit improper privilege management, granting them access to files or directories that should not be exposed. The vulnerability is classified under CVSS version 3.1 with a score of 6.5, indicating a moderate risk level.
The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the way Apache Kafka clients handle configuration data. Specifically, they accept configurations from untrusted parties and utilize ConfigProvider plugins, such as FileConfigProvider and DirectoryConfigProvider, which can read from disk or environment variables. This allows attackers to leverage these configurations to read arbitrary contents of the disk and environment variables.
In particular, this vulnerability poses a risk when Apache Kafka Connect is used, as it enables escalation from REST API access to filesystem or environment access. This could be problematic in environments like Software as a Service (SaaS) products, where security is paramount.
Organizations using affected versions are urged to prioritize patching by upgrading kafka-clients to version 3.8.0 or higher and configuring the JVM system property "org.apache.kafka.automatic.config.providers=none" to mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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