Spring For Apache KafkaWeb server / proxy · VMware
CVE-2023-34040
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 · uneditedIn Spring for Apache Kafka 3.0.9 and earlier and versions 2.9.10 and earlier, a possible deserialization attack vector existed, but only if unusual configuration was applied. An attacker would have to construct a malicious serialized object in one of the deserialization exception record headers. Specifically, an application is vulnerable when all of the following are true: * The user does not configure an ErrorHandlingDeserializer for the key and/or value of the record * The user explicitly sets container properties checkDeserExWhenKeyNull and/or checkDeserExWhenValueNull container properties to true. * The user allows untrusted sources to publish to a Kafka topic By default, these properties are false, and the container only attempts to deserialize the headers if an ErrorHandlingDeserializer is configured. The ErrorHandlingDeserializer prevents the vulnerability by removing any such malicious headers before processing the record.
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 confidenceA deserialization vulnerability in Spring for Apache Kafka allows attackers to inject malicious serialized objects into exception record headers when ErrorHandlingDeserializer is not configured AND checkDeserExWhenKeyNull/checkDeserExWhenValueNull are explicitly set to true, enabling remote code execution through untrusted Kafka topic publishers.
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
Spring For Apache KafkaWeb server / proxy
>= 2.8.1, <= 2.9.10>= 3.0.0, <= 3.0.9CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 installed Spring Kafka versionCheck your project dependency management (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or application classpath) for the spring-kafka version numberAffected if Version is 2.8.1 through 2.9.10 OR 3.0.0 through 3.0.9
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Verify ErrorHandlingDeserializer is not configuredInspect your Kafka consumer configuration (application.properties, application.yml, or Java config class) for ErrorHandlingDeserializer bean or property for key.deserializer and value.deserializerAffected if No ErrorHandlingDeserializer is configured for key or value deserialization
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Check checkDeserExWhenKeyNull settingSearch configuration for property checkDeserExWhenKeyNull and confirm its valueAffected if checkDeserExWhenKeyNull is explicitly set to true (note: default is false)
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Check checkDeserExWhenValueNull settingSearch configuration for property checkDeserExWhenValueNull and confirm its valueAffected if checkDeserExWhenValueNull is explicitly set to true (note: default is false)
You are affected if your Spring Kafka version is in the vulnerable range AND ErrorHandlingDeserializer is not configured AND at least one of checkDeserExWhenKeyNull or checkDeserExWhenValueNull is set to true.
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 · scopedConfigure ErrorHandlingDeserializer for key and value deserialization, or ensure checkDeserExWhenKeyNull and checkDeserExWhenValueNull remain at their default false value, and restrict Kafka topic publishing to trusted sources.
Spring Kafka 3.1.0+ (for 3.0.x users) or 2.9.11+ (for 2.9.x users)
- 1. Identify the current Spring for Apache Kafka version in use by checking build dependencies (Maven pom.xml or Gradle build.gradle)
- 2. Determine which major version line is in use (2.9.x or 3.0.x)
- 3. For projects using 3.0.x line: upgrade to version 3.1.0 or later
- 4. For projects using 2.9.x line: upgrade to version 2.9.11 or later
- 5. Update the version in pom.xml or build.gradle with the appropriate dependency version
- 6. Rebuild and test the application to verify the upgrade does not break existing functionality
- 7. Alternatively, if upgrade is not immediately possible, ensure ErrorHandlingDeserializer is configured for key and value deserializers to mitigate the vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring For Apache Kafka
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-34040 — 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-2023-34040 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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