CVE-2026-105949: Cruise-control: streams for apache kafka cruise control: authentication bypass via extra path segment allows unauthenticated access to all admin endpoints

What it is

Cruise Control’s Jetty ConstraintSecurityHandler registers security constraints on exact path specs without a catch-all wildcard constraint and without calling setDenyUncoveredHttpMethods(true). The servlet routes requests using Path.of(pathInfo).getFileName(), which strips all leading segments and trailing slashes. Requests like POST /kafkacruisecontrol/x/rebalance bypass authentication entirely but still dispatch to admin endpoints. All 15 admin endpoints become reachable without authentication. In AMQ Streams, the Strimzi operator’s NetworkPolicy restricts Cruise Control port 9090 to operator pods only, reducing effective severity to Important.

Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by redhat, published 2026-10-20).

Weakness: Improper Authentication

How it can be exploited

Exploitable from an adjacent network with low attack complexity needing no privileges and no user interaction. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA has no evidence of exploitation. Automatable: no. Technical impact: total.

Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)

Exploit Observer found 5 code repositories naming this CVE.

Code repositories that name a CVE are often scanners, copies or fakes, and some are malware. Read the code before running anything.

See all 10 references on Exploit Observer

Live scores

EPSS

0.003
low predicted chance of attack

VEDAS

0.987
strong exploit evidence

On CISA KEV

Not listed

Detection rule

Nuclei · Suricata

Who is affected

Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.

How to fix it

Fixed versions stated in the CVE record: 3.1.0.

How to detect it

Nuclei template (active check)

Cruise Control - Authentication Bypass

Kafka Cruise Control registers its Jetty ConstraintSecurityHandler security constraints on exact path specs without a catch-all wildcard constraint and without calling setDenyUncoveredHttpMethods(true). The servlet routes requests using Path.of(pathInfo).getFileName(), which strips all leading path segments and trailing slashes. A request such as GET /kafkacruisecontrol/<segment>/state does not match the protected exact path spec, so the security constraint is never applied, yet the servlet still dispatches the request to the administrative endpoint. This exposes all admin endpoints (state, load, rebalance, etc.) to an unauthenticated network-adjacent attacker.

Name and description quoted from the template, written by VEDAS.

The template sends 1 request (GET /kafkacruisecontrol/vedas/state?json=true); it decides using dsl matchers. Severity in the template: high. Marked as not yet verified against a live vulnerable target.

Run it against a host you own or are authorised to test:

nuclei -u https://your-host -t CVE-2026-105949.yaml

id: CVE-2026-105949

info:
  name: "Cruise Control - Authentication Bypass"
  author: vedas-arpsyndicate
  severity: high
  description: |
    Kafka Cruise Control registers its Jetty ConstraintSecurityHandler security constraints on exact path
    specs without a catch-all wildcard constraint and without calling setDenyUncoveredHttpMethods(true). The
    servlet routes requests using Path.of(pathInfo).getFileName(), which strips all leading path segments and
    trailing slashes. A request such as GET /kafkacruisecontrol/<segment>/state does not match the protected
    exact path spec, so the security constraint is never applied, yet the servlet still dispatches the request
    to the administrative endpoint. This exposes all admin endpoints (state, load, rebalance, etc.) to an
    unauthenticated network-adjacent attacker.
  reference:
    - https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2026-105949&match=exact
    - https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=cruise-control&match=exact
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 8.8
    cve-id: CVE-2026-105949
    cwe-id: CWE-287
  metadata:
    verified: false
  tags: cve,cve2026,cruise-control,kafka,auth-bypass
http:
  - raw:
      - |
        GET /kafkacruisecontrol/vedas/state?json=true HTTP/1.1
        Host: {{Hostname}}
        Accept: application/json

    matchers:
      - type: dsl
        dsl:
          - 'contains_all(body, "MonitorState", "ExecutorState", "AnalyzerState")'
          - 'status_code == 200'
        condition: and

CVE-2026-105949.yaml on GitHub

Suricata rules (network detection)

1 rule that alert on traffic matching this exploit: VEDAS CVE-2026-105949 Cruise Control - Authentication Bypass. Add them to your Suricata rule set and reload.

alert http $EXTERNAL_NET any -> $HTTP_SERVERS $HTTP_PORTS (msg:"VEDAS CVE-2026-105949 Cruise Control - Authentication Bypass"; flow:established,to_server; http.method; content:"GET"; http.uri; content:"/kafkacruisecontrol/"; nocase; fast_pattern; pcre:"/\/kafkacruisecontrol\/[^\/]+\/state/i"; classtype:web-application-attack; reference:cve,CVE-2026-105949; reference:url,https://www.exploit.observer/?keyword=CVE-2026-105949&match=exact; reference:url,https://subdomain.center/?engine=ammonites&keyword=cruise-control&match=exact; sid:1076000; rev:1;)

CVE-2026-105949.rules on GitHub

References

Technical analysis and advisories

• RHBZ#2510878 (issue-tracking, x_refsource_REDHAT)

Other references

• https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-105949 (vdb-entry, x_refsource_REDHAT)
• https://github.com/cruise-control-for-kafka/cruise-control/commit/0680880be8483e87a39832de807b68d5e9918325

Other databases

• CVE record (cve.org)
• NVD
• Exploit Observer

Where this comes from

This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer, vedas-signatures. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.