CVE-2025-27819
Description
A flaw was found in org.apache.kafka. The JndiLoginModule within the SASL authentication mechanism allows remote code execution and denial of service when misconfigured. This flaw allows an attacker to provide a malicious JNDI URI within the Kafka broker's configuration, permitting arbitrary code execution on the affected system.
Statement
No Red Hat products or offerings are affected by this vulnerability.
This vulnerability is categorized as Important rather than Moderate due to its potential to enable remote code execution (RCE) or denial of service (DoS) in a core component of Apache Kafka—its brokers—under certain but realistic conditions. While exploitation requires AlterConfigs permission and network access to the Kafka cluster, these privileges are commonly granted to administrative or automation accounts in real-world deployments. The core issue arises from unsafe JAAS configuration allowing the use of JndiLoginModule, which can trigger JNDI lookups and result in arbitrary code execution if a malicious LDAP or RMI server is referenced. Given Kafka's central role in data pipelines and real-time processing systems, a successful exploit could lead to a full cluster compromise, service disruption, or even lateral movement within a network.
Mitigation
To mitigate this flaw, disable the problematic login module's usage in the SASL JAAS configuration using the system property, "-Dorg.apache.kafka.disallowed.login.modules".
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 8.8 | N/A | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Network | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | Required | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | High | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity
Technical Impact: Modify Application Data; Unexpected State
Attackers can modify unexpected objects or data that was assumed to be safe from modification. Deserialized data or code could be modified without using the provided accessor functions, or unexpected functions could be invoked.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
If a function is making an assumption on when to terminate, based on a sentry in a string, it could easily never terminate.
Other
Technical Impact: Varies by Context
The consequences can vary widely, because it depends on which objects or methods are being deserialized, and how they are used. Making an assumption that the code in the deserialized object is valid is dangerous and can enable exploitation. One example is attackers using gadget chains to perform unauthorized actions, such as generating a shell.
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