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KafkaApplication · Apache

CVE-2024-56128

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
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
Incorrect Implementation of Authentication Algorithm in Apache Kafka's SCRAM implementation. Issue Summary: Apache Kafka's implementation of the Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism (SCRAM) did not fully adhere to the requirements of RFC 5802 [1]. Specifically, as per RFC 5802, the server must verify that the nonce sent by the client in the second message matches the nonce sent by the server in its first message. However, Kafka's SCRAM implementation did not perform this validation. Impact: This vulnerability is exploitable only when an attacker has plaintext access to the SCRAM authentication exchange. However, the usage of SCRAM over plaintext is strongly discouraged as it is considered an insecure practice [2]. Apache Kafka recommends deploying SCRAM exclusively with TLS encryption to protect SCRAM exchanges from interception [3]. Deployments using SCRAM with TLS are not affected by this issue. How to Detect If You Are Impacted: If your deployment uses SCRAM authentication over plaintext communication channels (without TLS encryption), you are likely impacted. To check if TLS is enabled, review your server.properties configuration file for listeners property. If you have SASL_PLAINTEXT in the listeners, then you are likely impacted. Fix Details: The issue has been addressed by introducing nonce verification in the final message of the SCRAM authentication exchange to ensure compliance with RFC 5802. Affected Versions: Apache Kafka versions 0.10.2.0 through 3.9.0, excluding the fixed versions below. Fixed Versions: 3.9.0 3.8.1 3.7.2 Users are advised to upgrade to 3.7.2 or later to mitigate this issue. Recommendations for Mitigation: Users unable to upgrade to the fixed versions can mitigate the issue by: - Using TLS with SCRAM Authentication: Always deploy SCRAM over TLS to encrypt authentication exchanges and protect against interception. - Considering Alternative Authentication Mechanisms: Evaluate alternative authentication mechanisms, such as PLAIN, Kerberos or OAuth with TLS, which provide additional layers of security.

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 Kafka's SCRAM authentication implementation fails to verify that the client-provided nonce in the second authentication message matches the nonce sent by the server in its first message, violating RFC 5802 requirements. This allows potential nonce manipulation attacks when SCRAM is used over unencrypted (plaintext) channels.

MitigationDeploy SCRAM exclusively over TLS encryption, or upgrade to fixed versions (3.7.2, 3.8.1, or 3.9.0) which implement proper nonce verification.

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
KafkaApplication
Affected:>= 0.10.2.0, < 3.7.2= 3.8.0

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 Kafka version
    Run 'kafka-topics.sh --version' or check the 'kafka_2.XX-X.X.X.jar' file in the Kafka lib directory, or query the broker via 'kafka-broker-api-versions --bootstrap-server <host>'
    Affected if Version is >= 0.10.2.0 and < 3.7.2, or exactly 3.8.0
  2. Confirm SCRAM is in use
    Check Kafka broker configuration for 'SCRAM' in 'security.inter.broker.protocol' or client 'sasl.mechanism' settings in server.properties or jaas.conf files
    Affected if SCRAM-SHA-256 or SCRAM-SHA-512 is configured as the SASL mechanism
  3. Check listener encryption status
    Examine 'listeners' and 'advertised.listeners' configuration in server.properties. Look for 'PLAINTEXT://' versus 'SSL://' or 'SASL_SSL://' prefixes for listeners that use SCRAM
    Affected if Any listener using SCRAM authentication is configured with 'PLAINTEXT://' (unencrypted) rather than 'SSL://' or 'SASL_SSL://'
  4. Review client connection configs
    Check client properties files (producer.config, consumer.config) for 'security.protocol' setting. Verify clients connecting to affected listeners use PLAINTEXT for SASL
    Affected if Clients use 'PLAINTEXT' security protocol to connect to brokers using SCRAM authentication

You are affected if your Kafka version falls within the vulnerable range AND SCRAM authentication is configured on unencrypted (PLAINTEXT) listeners or connections.

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 3.7.2 or later
Fixed in 3.7.2
Interim mitigation

Deploy SCRAM exclusively over TLS encryption, or upgrade to fixed versions (3.7.2, 3.8.1, or 3.9.0) which implement proper nonce verification.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Kafka 3.7.2, 3.8.1, or 3.9.0

  1. 1. Identify your current Apache Kafka version by checking the kafka_2.XX-X.X.X jar file or running bin/kafka-topics.sh --version
  2. 2. Plan an upgrade to one of the fixed versions: 3.7.2, 3.8.1, or 3.9.0
  3. 3. Before upgrading, ensure you have backups of your Kafka configuration files (server.properties, jaas.conf) and topic data
  4. 4. Upgrade Kafka to the chosen fixed version following the standard rolling upgrade or in-place upgrade procedures
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify SCRAM authentication is functioning correctly by testing client connections
  6. 6. As a secondary measure, ensure SASL_SSL or SSL is configured in your listeners property (not SASL_PLAINTEXT) to encrypt SCRAM authentication exchanges
Caveat Review Kafka upgrade notes for any breaking changes between your current version and target version; major version upgrades may require client compatibility checks

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

Fix this in Kafka Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2024-56128 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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