Spring for Apache Kafka: Improper Validation of Retry Topic Header Values Leads to Retry Sequence Manipulation
Spring Kafka's retry topic infrastructure did not sufficiently validate user-controlled header values before acting on them. A producer could send a record with a crafted retry_topic-attempts header to supply an out-of-range attempt count and cause the retry topic router to misidentify where the message was in the retry sequence.
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.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.springframework.kafka:spring-kafka | >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.6, >= 3.3.0, < 3.3.16, >= 3.2.0, <= 3.2.13, >= 2.9.0, <= 2.9.13, <= 2.8.11 | 4.0.6, 3.3.16 |
References
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-20- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.springframework.kafka:spring-kafka- Disclosed
- 10.06.2026
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-53w6-v7cv-fc9h - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.springframework.kafka:spring-kafka
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
- 08.2023 06.2026
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 2
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2023: 1
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 3
-
Spring for Apache Kafka: Improper Validation of Retry Topic Header Values Leads to Retry Sequence Manipulation this entry
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