Observable Discrepancy in Apache Kafka
Some components in Apache Kafka use Arrays.equals to validate a password or key, which is vulnerable to timing attacks that make brute force attacks for such credentials more likely to be successful. Users should upgrade to 2.8.1 or higher, or 3.0.0 or higher where this vulnerability has been fixed. The affected versions include Apache Kafka 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.1.0, 2.1.1, 2.2.0, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.3.0, 2.3.1, 2.4.0, 2.4.1, 2.5.0, 2.5.1, 2.6.0, 2.6.1, 2.6.2, 2.7.0, 2.7.1, and 2.8.0.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.11 | >= 2.0.0, <= 2.4.1 | no fix |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.12 | >= 2.0.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.2, >= 2.8.0, < 2.8.1 | 2.6.3, 2.7.2, 2.8.1 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.13 | >= 2.4.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.2, >= 2.8.0, < 2.8.1 | 2.6.3, 2.7.2, 2.8.1 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients | >= 2.0.0, < 2.6.3, >= 2.7.0, < 2.7.2, >= 2.8.0, < 2.8.1 | 2.6.3, 2.7.2, 2.8.1 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38153
- https://github.com/apache/kafka
- https://kafka.apache.org/cve-list
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r26390c8b09ecfa356582d665b0c01f4cdcf16ac047c85f9f9f06a88c@%3Cdev.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r26390c8b09ecfa356582d665b0c01f4cdcf16ac047c85f9f9f06a88c@%3Cusers.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r35322aec467ddae34002690edaa4d9f16e7df9b5bf7164869b75b62c@%3Cdev.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r45cc0602d5f2cbb72e48896dfadf5e5b87ed85630449598b40e8f0be@%3Cdev.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r45cc0602d5f2cbb72e48896dfadf5e5b87ed85630449598b40e8f0be@%3Cusers.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd9ef217b09fdefaf32a4e1835b59b96629542db57e1f63edb8b006e6@%3Cdev.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd9ef217b09fdefaf32a4e1835b59b96629542db57e1f63edb8b006e6@%3Cusers.kafka.apache.org%3E
- https://support.confluent.io/hc/en-us/articles/4407632156692-CVE-2021-38153-Confluent-Platform-Vulnerability-Timing-attacks
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-203- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.11, org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.12, org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.13- Disclosed
- 23.09.2021
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-3j6g-hxx5-3q26 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.kafka:kafka_2.11
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 4
- First → latest
- 09.2021 06.2025
- Without a fix
- 4
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 2
- Medium 1
- Low 1
Disclosures per year
- 2021: 1
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 1
- 2025: 2
- 2026: 0
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