How severe is CVE-2018-17196?

CVE-2018-17196 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2018-17196?

CVE-2018-17196 affects the following packages: org.apache.kafka:kafka (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2018-17196?

Update org.apache.kafka:kafka to 2.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-17196 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2018-17196 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.kafka:kafka, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2018-17196 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Is CVE-2018-17196 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2018-17196 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2018-17196?

CVE-2018-17196 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 5.4%, placing it in the 93th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

When was CVE-2018-17196 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2018-17196 was published on July 11, 2019 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2018-17196 — kafka

HIGH

CVE-2018-17196 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) vulnerability in org.apache.kafka:kafka. A fix is available for org.apache.kafka:kafka — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Input Validation in Apache Kafka

Also known asGHSA-47w3-66wq-cpxg

Published

Jul 11, 2019

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 4, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

5.4%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs93th percentile — riskier than 93% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.apache.kafka:kafka

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

In Apache Kafka versions between 0.11.0.0 and 2.1.0, it is possible to manually craft a Produce request which bypasses transaction/idempotent ACL validation. Only authenticated clients with Write permission on the respective topics are able to exploit this vulnerability. Users should upgrade to 2.1.1 or later where this vulnerability has been fixed.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.kafka:kafka`	≥ 0.11.0.0&&< 2.1.1	2.1.1`org.apache.kafka:kafka:2.1.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

kafkaapache

≥ 0.11.0.0 && ≤ 2.1.0

range

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.kafka:kafka, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.kafka:kafka to 2.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2018-17196 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2018-17196 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works