dbcve.org
PulsarApplication · Apache

CVE-2022-33683

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.7.5 / 2.8.4 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Apache Pulsar Brokers and Proxies create an internal Pulsar Admin Client that does not verify peer TLS certificates, even when tlsAllowInsecureConnection is disabled via configuration. The Pulsar Admin Client's intra-cluster and geo-replication HTTPS connections are vulnerable to man in the middle attacks, which could leak authentication data, configuration data, and any other data sent by these clients. An attacker can only take advantage of this vulnerability by taking control of a machine 'between' the client and the server. The attacker must then actively manipulate traffic to perform the attack. This issue affects Apache Pulsar Broker and Proxy versions 2.7.0 to 2.7.4; 2.8.0 to 2.8.3; 2.9.0 to 2.9.2; 2.10.0; 2.6.4 and earlier.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache Pulsar Brokers and Proxies use an internal Pulsar Admin Client that fails to verify peer TLS certificates, even when tlsAllowInsecureConnection is disabled. This affects intra-cluster and geo-replication HTTPS connections, allowing man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept and steal authentication credentials and sensitive data.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Pulsar to version 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1, or 2.6.5 or later, which contains the fix for proper TLS certificate verification in the internal Admin Client.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
PulsarApplication
Affected:< 2.7.5>= 2.8.0, < 2.8.4>= 2.9.0, < 2.9.3= 2.10.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Pulsar installation
    Locate the Pulsar installation directory and check for pulsar-admin, pulsar-broker, or pulsar-proxy executables. Common paths include /opt/pulsar or /usr/local/pulsar. Use command: which pulsar-broker or find / -name pulsar-broker 2>/dev/null
    Affected if Apache Pulsar is not installed, the system is not affected by this CVE
  2. Determine installed Pulsar version
    Run the pulsar version command from the bin directory: ./pulsar version or pulsar-admin version. Alternatively check the VERSION file in the Pulsar distribution directory
    Affected if The installed version falls within < 2.7.5, >= 2.8.0 and < 2.8.4, >= 2.9.0 and < 2.9.3, or exactly 2.10.0 - the system is potentially affected
  3. Check if TLS is configured for broker-to-broker communication
    Examine the broker.conf or standalone.conf configuration file for brokerServicePortTls or webServicePortTls settings. Also check for pulsar://tls:// or pulsar+ssl:// cluster URLs in the cluster configuration. Look for configuration keys like webServiceTrustCertName or brokerClientTrustCertName
    Affected if TLS is configured for intra-cluster HTTPS communication (webServicePortTls or brokerServicePortTls enabled), the internal Admin Client is being used over TLS and could be vulnerable to MITM
  4. Verify geo-replication TLS configuration
    Check the cluster metadata and replication configuration for geo-replicated tenants. Look at the cluster-config.yaml or similar replication settings. Check if replication is configured over TLS-enabled URLs (https:// or pulsar+ssl://)
    Affected if Geo-replication is configured between clusters using TLS-enabled endpoints, the internal Admin Client is used and may be vulnerable
  5. Check tlsAllowInsecureConnection setting
    In broker.conf or standalone.conf, look for the setting tlsAllowInsecureConnection: true/false. Also check brokerClientTlsAllowInsecureConnection and webServerTlsAllowInsecureConnection if present
    Affected if Even with tlsAllowInsecureConnection set to false, the internal Admin Client still fails to verify peer certificates due to this vulnerability - the flaw exists regardless of this setting

The environment is affected if Apache Pulsar is installed with a version in the affected ranges AND TLS is enabled for intra-cluster or geo-replication communication, as the internal Admin Client will fail to properly verify peer TLS certificates.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.7.5 / 2.8.4 / 2.9.3 or later
Fixed in 2.7.52.8.42.9.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Pulsar to version 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1, or 2.6.5 or later, which contains the fix for proper TLS certificate verification in the internal Admin Client.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, or 2.10.1+ (depending on your current version branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current Apache Pulsar version in use by checking the broker/proxy installation
  2. 2. Upgrade to one of the fixed releases based on your current branch: If using 2.7.x, upgrade to 2.7.5 or later; If using 2.8.x, upgrade to 2.8.4 or later; If using 2.9.x, upgrade to 2.9.3 or later; If using 2.10.0, upgrade to 2.10.1 or later; If using 2.6.x or earlier, upgrade to 2.7.5 or later
  3. 3. After upgrading, verify that TLS certificate verification is properly enforced for the Pulsar Admin Client connections
  4. 4. Test intra-cluster and geo-replication HTTPS connections to ensure they function correctly with proper certificate validation
  5. 5. Confirm that the tlsAllowInsecureConnection configuration option is properly respected after the upgrade
Caveat Review release notes for your target version to check for any compatibility or migration considerations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Pulsar Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-33683 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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