CVE-2023-34040 : What You Need to Know

A detailed overview of CVE-2023-34040, a Java deserialization vulnerability affecting Spring for Apache Kafka.

Understanding CVE-2023-34040

This section delves into the vulnerability, its impact, technical details, and mitigation steps.

What is CVE-2023-34040?

In Spring for Apache Kafka 3.0.9 and earlier, a deserialization attack vector is present due to unusual configuration. An attacker must construct a malicious serialized object in deserialization exception record headers.

The Impact of CVE-2023-34040

Applications are vulnerable when specific conditions are met, such as lacking ErrorHandlingDeserializer configuration, enabling certain container properties, and allowing untrusted sources to write to a Kafka topic.

Technical Details of CVE-2023-34040

Explore the vulnerability description, affected systems and versions, and exploitation mechanism.

Vulnerability Description

The attack complexity is low, with a medium base severity. An attacker can locally impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Systems and Versions

Versions 2.8.x, 2.9.x, and 3.0.x are impacted, with a base score of 5.3 under the CVSS 3.1 scoring system.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability arises from improper configuration resulting in a deserialization attack vector.

Mitigation and Prevention

Learn how to address CVE-2023-34040 to enhance system security.

Immediate Steps to Take

Configure ErrorHandlingDeserializer, ensure container properties are set correctly, and restrict untrusted sources from publishing to Kafka topics.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update to versions above 3.0.10, and adopt best practices for secure Kafka deployments.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Spring to fix the vulnerability.