Apache Kafka Client Arbitrary File Read and Server Side Request Forgery VulnerabilityGHSA-vgq5-3255-v292
HIGHGHSA-vgq5-3255-v292 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-vgq5-3255-v292.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
org.apache.kafka:kafka-clientsReal-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
A possible arbitrary file read and SSRF vulnerability has been identified in Apache Kafka Client. Apache Kafka Clients accept configuration data for setting the SASL/OAUTHBEARER connection with the brokers, including "sasl.oauthbearer.token.endpoint.url" and "sasl.oauthbearer.jwks.endpoint.url". Apache Kafka allows clients to read an arbitrary file and return the content in the error log, or sending requests to an unintended location. In applications where Apache Kafka Clients configurations can be specified by an untrusted party, attackers may use the "sasl.oauthbearer.token.endpoint.url" and "sasl.oauthbearer.jwks.endpoint.url" configuratin to read arbitrary contents of the disk and environment variables or make requests to an unintended location. In particular, this flaw may be used in Apache Kafka Connect to escalate from REST API access to filesystem/environment/URL access, which may be undesirable in certain environments, including SaaS products.
Since Apache Kafka 3.9.1/4.0.0, we have added a system property ("-Dorg.apache.kafka.sasl.oauthbearer.allowed.urls") to set the allowed urls in SASL JAAS configuration. In 3.9.1, it accepts all urls by default for backward compatibility. However in 4.0.0 and newer, the default value is empty list and users have to set the allowed urls explicitly.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients | ≥ 3.1.0&&< 3.9.1 | 3.9.1org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients:3.9.1 |
Affected Products
kafkaapacheResearch use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients to 3.9.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vgq5-3255-v292 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Restrict outbound requests from the affected component to an allowlist of hosts, block access to link-local and internal address ranges at the network layer, and require authentication on internal services so a forged request cannot reach them unauthenticated.
How to detect GHSA-vgq5-3255-v292
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id ghsa-vgq5-3255-v292 -u https://target- Template
- Apache Kafka Client - Arbitrary File Read
- Severity
- high
- Impact
- Attackers can read arbitrary files or make unintended network requests, potentially exposing sensitive data or causing unauthorized interactions.
- Remediation
- Update to Apache Kafka 4.0.0 or later and configure allowed URLs using -Dorg.apache.kafka.sasl.oauthbearer.allowed.urls system property.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (0x_Akoko), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
To mitigate this flaw, explicitly set the allowed urls in SASL JAAS configuration using the system property "-Dorg.apache.kafka.sasl.oauthbearer.allowed.urls".Source: Red Hat security advisory for GHSA-vgq5-3255-v292 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Streams for Apache Kafka 2.9.1 | see advisory | RHSA-2025:9922 |
| Streams for Apache Kafka 3.1.0 | kafka | RHSA-2025:23417 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-vgq5-3255-v292 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.