Kafka Connect validate API exposes provider secrets (CVE-2026-116593)
Builds before 4.2.2 and 4.3.2 can reveal configuration-provider values through the connector validation endpoint.
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CVE-2026-116593
Sensitive config leak via Kafka Connect validate API
- CVSS
- —
- EPSS
- —
- Published
- ·
- Modified
AI analysisSummaries by Vani AI
Apache Kafka Connect's REST endpoint /connector-plugins/{connector-type}/config/validate resolves configuration through installed Configuration Providers, which are meant to hide sensitive values until runtime. An attacker who can reach that endpoint can force those providers to return the values in plaintext. Connect workers that have configuration providers installed and expose the validate API are affected.
What to do: Upgrade Kafka Connect to 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0, or above.
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Apache Kafka Connect | — | 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0 or above |
Estimated exposure
No basis for an estimate.
Order-of-magnitude estimate by the model from install counts, market share and public scan data it knows; verify before quoting.
Description · NVD
Apache Kafka Connect has the /connector-plugins/{connector-type}/config/validate endpoint on its REST API to validate connector configurations. Apache Kafka Connect also support Configuration Providers which enable to hide the values of sensitive configuration and only resolve them at runtime. An attacker with access to the validate endpoint can use it to resolve and return plaintext values via any of the configuration providers installed on a Connect worker. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.2.2, 4.3.2, 4.4.0 or above, which fix this issue.