CVE-2026-49098: CWE-20 Improper Input Validation in Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel
Improper Input Validation, Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in Apache Camel Kafka Component. The camel-kafka producer can override its configured target topic at runtime from the kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC Exchange header: KafkaProducer.evaluateTopic() returns the header value in preference to the topic configured on the endpoint. The control-header constants in KafkaConstants (for example OVERRIDE_TOPIC = kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC, OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP = kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP, PARTITION_KEY = kafka.PARTITION_KEY) used plain, non-Camel-prefixed values. camel-kafka's own KafkaHeaderFilterStrategy does filter the kafka.* namespace, but only on the Kafka-to-Exchange serialization boundary (reading Kafka record headers into the Exchange, and writing Exchange headers into a Kafka record); it does not apply to headers that arrive from an upstream consumer in a multi-component route. The upstream HTTP consumer uses HttpHeaderFilterStrategy, which blocks only the Camel / camel namespace, so a kafka.* header passes through unfiltered. As a result, in a route that bridges an HTTP consumer (for example platform-http) into a kafka: producer, any HTTP client could set the kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC header and cause the message to be published to an arbitrary Kafka topic instead of the configured one - redirecting it to a sensitive internal topic, or injecting attacker-crafted messages into a topic consumed by a critical downstream service. The related kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP and kafka.PARTITION_KEY headers could likewise be injected to backdate messages or target specific partitions. No credentials are required when the bridging consumer is unauthenticated. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.14.8, from 4.15.0 before 4.18.3, from 4.19.0 before 4.21.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.21.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.8. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. After upgrading, routes that set or read Kafka headers via the raw header names must use the CamelKafka* names (for example CamelKafkaOverrideTopic and CamelKafkaTopic) instead of the old kafka.* values. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, strip the kafka.* headers from any untrusted ingress before the kafka: producer (for example removeHeaders('kafka.*') at the start of the route), and set the target topic from a trusted source.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The Apache Camel Kafka component improperly validates input headers, specifically kafka.* headers like kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC, kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP, and kafka.PARTITION_KEY. These headers can override the target Kafka topic, message timestamp, and partition key at runtime. The filtering of these headers is only applied on the Kafka-to-Exchange serialization boundary, not on headers arriving from upstream consumers such as HTTP consumers. Consequently, an attacker controlling an upstream HTTP consumer can inject kafka.* headers to redirect messages to arbitrary Kafka topics or manipulate message metadata without authentication. This affects Apache Camel versions >=4.0.0 <4.14.8, >=4.15.0 <4.18.3, and >=4.19.0 <4.21.0. The issue is fixed in versions 4.14.8, 4.18.3, and 4.21.0 respectively. Mitigation includes upgrading to these versions or stripping kafka.* headers from untrusted inputs and using CamelKafka* header names in routes.
Potential Impact
An attacker can redirect messages to arbitrary Kafka topics, including sensitive internal topics, or inject crafted messages into topics consumed by critical downstream services. They can also manipulate message timestamps and partition keys. This can lead to unauthorized data injection, message spoofing, or disruption of message processing pipelines. No authentication is required if the upstream consumer is unauthenticated, increasing the risk in such deployments.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available by upgrading Apache Camel to versions 4.14.8 (for 4.14.x LTS), 4.18.3 (for 4.18.x releases), or 4.21.0 and later. After upgrading, routes must replace raw kafka.* header names with CamelKafka* names (e.g., CamelKafkaOverrideTopic). For environments where immediate upgrade is not possible, strip kafka.* headers from any untrusted ingress before the kafka: producer (e.g., using removeHeaders('kafka.*') at the start of the route) and set the target topic from a trusted source. These mitigations prevent unauthorized header injection and message redirection.
CVE-2026-49098: CWE-20 Improper Input Validation in Apache Software Foundation Apache Camel
Description
Improper Input Validation, Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in Apache Camel Kafka Component. The camel-kafka producer can override its configured target topic at runtime from the kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC Exchange header: KafkaProducer.evaluateTopic() returns the header value in preference to the topic configured on the endpoint. The control-header constants in KafkaConstants (for example OVERRIDE_TOPIC = kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC, OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP = kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP, PARTITION_KEY = kafka.PARTITION_KEY) used plain, non-Camel-prefixed values. camel-kafka's own KafkaHeaderFilterStrategy does filter the kafka.* namespace, but only on the Kafka-to-Exchange serialization boundary (reading Kafka record headers into the Exchange, and writing Exchange headers into a Kafka record); it does not apply to headers that arrive from an upstream consumer in a multi-component route. The upstream HTTP consumer uses HttpHeaderFilterStrategy, which blocks only the Camel / camel namespace, so a kafka.* header passes through unfiltered. As a result, in a route that bridges an HTTP consumer (for example platform-http) into a kafka: producer, any HTTP client could set the kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC header and cause the message to be published to an arbitrary Kafka topic instead of the configured one - redirecting it to a sensitive internal topic, or injecting attacker-crafted messages into a topic consumed by a critical downstream service. The related kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP and kafka.PARTITION_KEY headers could likewise be injected to backdate messages or target specific partitions. No credentials are required when the bridging consumer is unauthenticated. This issue affects Apache Camel: from 4.0.0 before 4.14.8, from 4.15.0 before 4.18.3, from 4.19.0 before 4.21.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.21.0, which fixes the issue. If users are on the 4.14.x LTS releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.14.8. If users are on the 4.18.x releases stream, then they are suggested to upgrade to 4.18.3. After upgrading, routes that set or read Kafka headers via the raw header names must use the CamelKafka* names (for example CamelKafkaOverrideTopic and CamelKafkaTopic) instead of the old kafka.* values. For deployments that cannot upgrade immediately, strip the kafka.* headers from any untrusted ingress before the kafka: producer (for example removeHeaders('kafka.*') at the start of the route), and set the target topic from a trusted source.
Affected software
pkg:maven/Apache Software Foundation/org.apache.camel:camel-kafkaRun on your own infrastructure? Check whether these packages are installed with threat-finder — our free open-source scanner.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The Apache Camel Kafka component improperly validates input headers, specifically kafka.* headers like kafka.OVERRIDE_TOPIC, kafka.OVERRIDE_TIMESTAMP, and kafka.PARTITION_KEY. These headers can override the target Kafka topic, message timestamp, and partition key at runtime. The filtering of these headers is only applied on the Kafka-to-Exchange serialization boundary, not on headers arriving from upstream consumers such as HTTP consumers. Consequently, an attacker controlling an upstream HTTP consumer can inject kafka.* headers to redirect messages to arbitrary Kafka topics or manipulate message metadata without authentication. This affects Apache Camel versions >=4.0.0 <4.14.8, >=4.15.0 <4.18.3, and >=4.19.0 <4.21.0. The issue is fixed in versions 4.14.8, 4.18.3, and 4.21.0 respectively. Mitigation includes upgrading to these versions or stripping kafka.* headers from untrusted inputs and using CamelKafka* header names in routes.
Potential Impact
An attacker can redirect messages to arbitrary Kafka topics, including sensitive internal topics, or inject crafted messages into topics consumed by critical downstream services. They can also manipulate message timestamps and partition keys. This can lead to unauthorized data injection, message spoofing, or disruption of message processing pipelines. No authentication is required if the upstream consumer is unauthenticated, increasing the risk in such deployments.
Mitigation Recommendations
A fix is available by upgrading Apache Camel to versions 4.14.8 (for 4.14.x LTS), 4.18.3 (for 4.18.x releases), or 4.21.0 and later. After upgrading, routes must replace raw kafka.* header names with CamelKafka* names (e.g., CamelKafkaOverrideTopic). For environments where immediate upgrade is not possible, strip kafka.* headers from any untrusted ingress before the kafka: producer (e.g., using removeHeaders('kafka.*') at the start of the route) and set the target topic from a trusted source. These mitigations prevent unauthorized header injection and message redirection.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- apache
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-27T11:44:53.864Z
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a4b6cae27e9c79719252385
Added to database: 07/06/2026, 08:51:58 UTC
Last enriched: 07/06/2026, 09:07:26 UTC
Last updated: 07/06/2026, 23:34:38 UTC
Views: 8
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