CVE-2026-27134Network attack vector

Unauthorized mTLS authentication via overbroad CA trust

Published Feb 20, 2026 · Updated Feb 20, 2026

Improper authentication in Strimzi Kafka Operator 0.49.0 through 0.50.0 allows remote attackers to authenticate to Kafka via mTLS. The Cluster Operator places every CA from a supplied multistage Cluster or Clients CA chain into listener trust configuration, making each chain member a trust anchor. Reachability requires a custom multistage CA chain and a certificate signed by a nonintended CA; managed CAs and single-CA configurations are unaffected.

CVSS severity8.1
High
EPSS probability0.36%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper authentication in Strimzi Kafka Operator 0.49.0 through 0.50.0 allows remote attackers to authenticate to Kafka via mTLS. The Cluster Operator places every CA from a supplied multistage Cluster or Clients CA chain into listener trust configuration, making each chain member a trust anchor. Reachability requires a custom multistage CA chain and a certificate signed by a nonintended CA; managed CAs and single-CA configurations are unaffected.

The record

CVE
CVE-2026-27134
Published
Feb 20, 2026
Updated
Feb 20, 2026
Vendor
Strimzi
Product
Strimzi Kafka Operator
Classifications
CWE-295, CWE-287, CWE-296, T1078
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 20, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Feb 20, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=>= 0.49.0, < 0.50.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Strimzi · Strimzi Kafka Operatorversion=>= 0.49.0, < 0.50.1

Published CVSS scores

8.1Red HatCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
8.1GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-295Improper Certificate Validation
CWE-287Improper Authentication
CWE-296Improper Following of a Certificate's Chain of Trust
T1078Valid Accounts

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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