CVE-2026-82266 in Redpanda
Summary
by MITRE • 08/28/2026
Redpanda through 26.2.2 binds the Admin API to 0.0.0.0:9644 with admin_api_require_auth defaulting to false, treating unauthenticated requests as superusers. Attackers can reach port 9644 without credentials to create and delete broker accounts, modify cluster configuration, and disrupt partition replication.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2026
The vulnerability in Redpanda versions through 26.2.2 stems from a critical misconfiguration of the Admin API endpoint regarding authentication enforcement. By default, the system binds the administrative interface to all network interfaces on port 9644 while simultaneously setting the admin_api_require_auth parameter to false. This configuration effectively disables mandatory authentication for any request directed at this specific service port. Consequently, the security model fails to distinguish between authorized administrators and unauthenticated external actors, treating every incoming connection as if it originated from a superuser with unrestricted privileges.
This architectural flaw allows attackers who have network reachability to port 9644 to execute administrative commands without providing any credentials. The operational impact is severe because the exposed API grants full control over cluster management functions. An adversary can create new broker accounts, potentially establishing persistent backdoors within the system infrastructure. Furthermore, they possess the ability to delete existing brokers or modify critical cluster configurations that dictate data distribution and replication strategies. Such modifications can lead to immediate service disruption by breaking partition replication mechanisms, resulting in data loss or unavailability for downstream consumers relying on the Kafka-compatible interface of Redpanda.
From a classification perspective, this issue aligns with CWE-287, which describes Improper Authentication, as the system fails to verify identity before granting access. It also relates closely to CWE-613, Insufficient Session Expiration, in contexts where session tokens might be bypassed entirely due to the lack of initial authentication checks. In terms of adversary behavior mapped by MITRE ATT&CK, this vulnerability facilitates Initial Access and Privilege Escalation techniques, specifically those involving exploitation of service configurations or default credentials that are effectively nonexistent when authentication is disabled. The ability to modify cluster configuration also touches upon Impact categories related to Availability and Integrity violations through the disruption of replication services.
To mitigate this risk, organizations must immediately enforce strict access controls on port 9644. This involves setting admin_api_require_auth to true in the Redpanda configuration files to mandate credential verification for all administrative requests. Additionally, network-level restrictions should be implemented using firewalls or security groups to limit inbound traffic on port 9644 exclusively to trusted management subnets or specific IP addresses authorized for cluster administration. Regular auditing of service configurations is essential to ensure that default settings do not expose sensitive interfaces to the public internet or untrusted internal networks, thereby preventing unauthorized actors from leveraging these administrative capabilities against the data platform.