Skip to main content
CVE-2026-111073VulnerabilityPublished Updated

Kafka: The broker-side PushTelemetry API (KIP-714) validates only the compressed size of a client's metrics payload

Affects kafkaSource GCVE Database

0
Compare
Authoritative record:CVE-2026-111073· High

Not known to be exploited.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 12:35 UTC

Severity
High

Rated by Threat Radar · CVSS not yet scored by NVD

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 28 Oct 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 5 Nov 2026.

What to do

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSkafkapkg:deb/ubuntu/kafka?arch=source&distro=esm-apps/bionicOther threatsAffected
  • =2.2.0u2-0ubuntu3.1
  • =2.2.0u2-0ubuntu3.2
  • =2.2.2u1-0ubuntu1+esm2
Fixed in–

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

Description

The broker-side PushTelemetry API (KIP-714) validates only the compressed size of a client's metrics payload against telemetry.max.bytes (default 1 MB) before decompressing it. ClientTelemetryUtils.decompress() then decompresses the payload with no limit on the decompressed output size, growing a heap buffer until the compressed input is exhausted. A small, highly compressible payload (for example gzip-compressed zeros) can therefore expand to hundreds of megabytes of broker heap. Impact: An authenticated client can send a PushTelemetry request with a small compressed payload that decompresses to a very large size, consuming broker heap out of proportion to the request size. Repeated or concurrent requests can exhaust the broker heap and cause an OutOfMemoryError, degrading or crashing the broker; a client that targets multiple brokers can affect cluster availability. PushTelemetry is available to any authenticated client and is not gated by an ACL. Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.1, or 4.4.0. On affected versions there is no configuration that fully prevents the amplification, because telemetry.max.bytes bounds only the compressed size; lowering telemetry.max.bytes reduces the worst-case decompressed size proportionally and is a partial mitigation. Resolution: - From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.1, and 4.4.0: ClientTelemetryUtils.decompress() enforces a maximum decompressed size equal to telemetry.max.bytes (default 1 MB). Decompression reads in bounded chunks and aborts with a TelemetryTooLargeException once the decompressed total exceeds the limit, so an over-large or highly compressible payload is rejected instead of being fully expanded in heap. The decompressed size is therefore bounded by default.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…