Summary
Apache Pulsar: Improper Authentication for Pulsar Proxy Statistics Endpoint
Improper Authentication vulnerability in Apache Pulsar Proxy allows an attacker to connect to the /proxy-stats endpoint without authentication. The vulnerable endpoint exposes detailed statistics about live connections, along with the capability to modify the logging level of proxied connections without requiring proper authentication credentials.
This issue affects Apache Pulsar versions from 2.6.0 to 2.10.5, from 2.11.0 to 2.11.2, from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1, and 3.1.0.
The known risks include exposing sensitive information such as connected client IP and unauthorized logging level manipulation which could lead to a denial-of-service condition by significantly increasing the proxy's logging overhead. When deployed via the Apache Pulsar Helm chart within Kubernetes environments, the actual client IP might not be revealed through the load balancer's default behavior, which typically obscures the original source IP addresses when externalTrafficPolicy is being configured to "Cluster" by default. The /proxy-stats endpoint contains topic level statistics, however, in the default configuration, the topic level statistics aren't known to be exposed.
2.10 Pulsar Proxy users should upgrade to at least 2.10.6.
2.11 Pulsar Proxy users should upgrade to at least 2.11.3.
3.0 Pulsar Proxy users should upgrade to at least 3.0.2.
3.1 Pulsar Proxy users should upgrade to at least 3.1.1.
Users operating versions prior to those listed above should upgrade to the aforementioned patched versions or newer versions. Additionally, it's imperative to recognize that the Apache Pulsar Proxy is not intended for direct exposure to the internet. The architectural design of Pulsar Proxy assumes that it will operate within a secured network environment, safeguarded by appropriate perimeter defenses.
Impact
A critical operation is accessible without requiring any authentication. Typical impact: any user can invoke the privileged function.
CVE-2022-34321 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.10.6, 2.11.3, 3.0.2, 3.1.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy to 2.10.6 or later; org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy to 2.11.3 or later; org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy to 3.0.2 or later; org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy to 3.1.1 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2022-34321? CVE-2022-34321 is a high-severity missing authentication for critical function vulnerability in org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy (maven), affecting versions >= 2.6.0, <= 2.10.5. It is fixed in 2.10.6, 2.11.3, 3.0.2, 3.1.1. A critical operation is accessible without requiring any authentication.
- How severe is CVE-2022-34321? CVE-2022-34321 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy are affected by CVE-2022-34321? org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxy (maven) versions >= 2.6.0, <= 2.10.5 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2022-34321? Yes. CVE-2022-34321 is fixed in 2.10.6, 2.11.3, 3.0.2, 3.1.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2022-34321 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2022-34321 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2022-34321 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2022-34321?
- Upgrade
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxyto 2.10.6 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxyto 2.11.3 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxyto 3.0.2 or later - Upgrade
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-proxyto 3.1.1 or later
- Upgrade