PulsarApplication · Apache
CVE-2023-30429
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 · uneditedIncorrect Authorization vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache Pulsar. This issue affects Apache Pulsar: before 2.10.4, and 2.11.0. When a client connects to the Pulsar Function Worker via the Pulsar Proxy where the Pulsar Proxy uses mTLS authentication to authenticate with the Pulsar Function Worker, the Pulsar Function Worker incorrectly performs authorization by using the Proxy's role for authorization instead of the client's role, which can lead to privilege escalation, especially if the proxy is configured with a superuser role. The recommended mitigation for impacted users is to upgrade the Pulsar Function Worker to a patched version. 2.10 Pulsar Function Worker users should upgrade to at least 2.10.4. 2.11 Pulsar Function Worker users should upgrade to at least 2.11.1. 3.0 Pulsar Function Worker users are unaffected. Any users running the Pulsar Function Worker for 2.9.* and earlier should upgrade to one of the above patched versions.
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 confidenceWhen a Pulsar client connects to the Function Worker through the Pulsar Proxy with mTLS authentication, the Function Worker incorrectly performs authorization using the Proxy's role instead of the original client's role, allowing privilege escalation if the proxy is configured with elevated privileges.
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
< 2.10.4= 2.11.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Pulsar Function Worker versionCheck the version of the Pulsar Function Worker service by querying its version endpoint or checking the deployed package version (for example, inspect the pulsar-functions service/daemonset version or the installed Pulsar broker/package version)Affected if The Function Worker version is Apache Pulsar < 2.10.4, = 2.11.0, or the broker version serving functions is in this range
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Confirm Function Worker is accessed through Pulsar ProxyReview your deployment architecture to determine whether client requests to Function Worker traverse the Pulsar Proxy (check routing configuration, proxy rules, or service mesh configuration)Affected if Function Worker is exposed via Pulsar Proxy and client traffic flows through the proxy to functions
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Verify mTLS authentication is enabledInspect the Pulsar Proxy configuration for mTLS (mutual TLS) settings, typically found in the proxy.conf file or security configuration; confirm client certificates are required for authenticationAffected if mTLS authentication is configured between clients and the Pulsar Proxy
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Check if Proxy role differs from client role in authorizationReview the authorization model: examine whether the Function Worker performs authorization based on the proxy's identity/role rather than the original client certificate's role when requests arrive via the proxy with mTLSAffected if The Function Worker uses the proxy's role (from the mTLS handshake) for authorization decisions instead of the original client's role
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Assess proxy privilege levelReview the Pulsar Proxy's assigned role or permissions in the authorization backend (for example, check the proxy's role in ZooKeeper, bookies, or external authorization system)Affected if The Pulsar Proxy is assigned elevated privileges or roles beyond those of typical clients
You are affected if Pulsar Function Worker is accessed through Pulsar Proxy with mTLS enabled and your Pulsar version falls in the < 2.10.4 or = 2.11.0 range, particularly if the proxy has elevated roles that differ from client roles.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped2.10.4
Upgrade Pulsar Function Worker to version 2.10.4+, 2.11.1+, or 3.0.x to patch the authorization bypass.
Upgrade to Pulsar 2.10.4+ (for 2.10.x users) or 2.11.1+ (for 2.11.x users), or 2.10.4+/2.11.1+ for older versions
- 1. Identify the current version of your Pulsar Function Worker by checking the running service or configuration
- 2. For Pulsar 2.10.x users: plan upgrade to version 2.10.4 or later
- 3. For Pulsar 2.11.x users: plan upgrade to version 2.11.1 or later
- 4. For Pulsar 2.9.x and earlier users: plan upgrade to either 2.10.4+ or 2.11.x (2.11.1+)
- 5. Before upgrading, backup all current Pulsar Function Worker configurations and data
- 6. Perform the upgrade following Apache Pulsar's standard upgrade procedure
- 7. After upgrade, verify that client authorization now correctly uses the client's role rather than the proxy's role when connecting via mTLS-authenticated Pulsar Proxy
- 8. Test that authorization behavior works as expected in your specific deployment topology
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Pulsar
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-30429 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-30429 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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