CVE-2026-41731 | In Spring for Apache Kafka, overly broad trusted-package matching in header mappers exposes JDK classes to deserialization

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.

Published: 2026-06-09 Last update: 2026-06-27 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2026-41731 is rated Moderate Risk (40.8/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.32%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2026-41731

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.04% 0.32% +0.28%
2 2026-06-10 — 0.04% —

Full EPSS history (2 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2026-41731

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.2 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2026-41731

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2026-41731

GHSA-xq69-5h5v-x9x4 · Severity: high · Ecosystem: maven — In Spring for Apache Kafka, overly broad trusted-package matching in header mappers exposes JDK classes to deserialization

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2026-41731

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
vmware spring_for_apache_kafka >= 2.8.0, <= 2.8.11 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_for_apache_kafka:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_for_apache_kafka >= 2.9.0, <= 2.9.13 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_for_apache_kafka:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_for_apache_kafka >= 3.2.0, <= 3.2.13 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_for_apache_kafka:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_for_apache_kafka >= 3.3.0, <= 3.3.15 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_for_apache_kafka:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware spring_for_apache_kafka >= 4.0.0, <= 4.0.5 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:spring_for_apache_kafka:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2026-41731

cvelogic Threat Intelligence