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Spring For Apache KafkaWeb server / proxy · VMware

CVE-2026-41731

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.8.12 / 2.9.14 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
JsonKafkaHeaderMapper and the deprecated DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper matched type headers against trusted packages using a prefix check, meaning that trusting any package implicitly trusted all of its subpackages. Combined with Jackson's default bean deserialization, a producer could supply crafted header values that caused the consumer to deserialize arbitrary JDK types. Affected versions: Spring for Apache Kafka 4.0.0 through 4.0.5; 3.3.0 through 3.3.15; 3.2.0 through 3.2.13; 2.9.0 through 2.9.13; 2.8.0 through 2.8.11.

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

The JsonKafkaHeaderMapper and deprecated DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper in Spring for Apache Kafka use a prefix-based check for trusted packages, meaning that trusting a package like 'com.example' implicitly trusts all subpackages. When combined with Jackson's default bean deserialization, an attacker controlling a Kafka producer can supply specially crafted header values containing malicious type references that cause the consumer to deserialize arbitrary JDK classes, potentially leading to remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade Spring for Apache Kafka to the patched version (not specified in advisory) or explicitly configure trusted packages using exact matches rather than prefixes, and consider disabling type header mapping if not required by the application.

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
Affected:>= 2.8.0, < 2.8.12>= 2.9.0, < 2.9.14>= 3.2.0, < 3.2.14>= 3.3.0, < 3.3.15.1>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.5.1
FuseApplication
Affected:= 7.0.0
Jboss Enterprise Application Platform Expansion PackApplication
Affected:all versions

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Spring Kafka version
    Examine your project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, requirements.txt, or similar) or list the installed JARs to find the spring-kafka version number
    Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: 2.8.0-2.8.11, 2.9.0-2.9.13, 3.2.0-3.2.13, 3.3.0-3.3.15, or 4.0.0-4.0.5
  2. Locate Kafka header mapper configuration
    Search your codebase for JsonKafkaHeaderMapper or DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper in Java/Kotlin configuration classes, XML config files, or Spring Boot property files (e.g., application.yml/properties)
    Affected if Either JsonKafkaHeaderMapper or the deprecated DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper is explicitly configured or auto-configured as the header mapper
  3. Verify trusted packages configuration
    Search for properties named 'trustedPackages', 'trusted.*', or similar Jackson/JsonDeserializer configuration related to Kafka header deserialization in your configuration files or code
    Affected if No explicit trusted packages are configured, or the configuration relies on prefix matching which allows untrusted packages to be deserialized through the header mapper
  4. Confirm JSON header processing is in use
    Inspect your Kafka consumer configuration to verify that JSON-based message conversion is enabled, particularly if headers contain serialized JSON objects that get deserialized
    Affected if Your Kafka consumer deserializes JSON headers without strict type restrictions, enabling the attack vector

You are affected if your Spring Kafka version is in the vulnerable range AND you use JsonKafkaHeaderMapper or DefaultKafkaHeaderMapper to process JSON headers without explicitly configuring trusted packages with exact matching.

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 2.8.12 / 2.9.14 / 3.2.14 or later
Fixed in 2.8.122.9.143.2.14
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Spring for Apache Kafka to the patched version (not specified in advisory) or explicitly configure trusted packages using exact matches rather than prefixes, and consider disabling type header mapping if not required by the application.

Recommended fix High confidence

Spring for Apache Kafka: upgrade to 2.8.12, 2.9.14, 3.2.14, 3.3.16, or 4.0.6 (depending on your current branch)

  1. 1. Identify the current version of spring-kafka used in your project by checking your build configuration (pom.xml, build.gradle, or equivalent).
  2. 2. Determine which version branch you are currently on (2.8.x, 2.9.x, 3.2.x, 3.3.x, or 4.0.x).
  3. 3. For Maven projects, update the spring-kafka dependency version in pom.xml to the fixed release for your branch: 2.8.12, 2.9.14, 3.2.14, 3.3.16, or 4.0.6.
  4. 4. For Gradle projects, update the dependency to the equivalent version: implementation 'org.springframework.kafka:spring-kafka:2.8.12' (or appropriate version for your branch).
  5. 5. Rebuild and test your application to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality.
  6. 6. Verify the fix is applied by confirming the updated library is in your classpath at runtime.
Caveat Minimal risk - this is a patch version upgrade within the same minor release line; however, always review release notes for any deprecation notices or behavioral changes

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
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
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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-2026-41731 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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