Apache Druid up to 35.x LDAP improper authentication

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Apache Druid up to 35.x. This affects an unknown function of the component LDAP Handler. Performing a manipulation results in improper authentication. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2026-23906. Remote exploitation of the attack is possible. No exploit is available. It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in Apache Druid up to 35.x. This affects an unknown functionality of the component LDAP Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a improper authentication vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-287. When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Affected Products and Versions * Apache Druid * Affected Versions: 0.17.0 through 35.x (all versions prior to 36.0.0) * Prerequisites: * druid-basic-security extension enabled * LDAP authenticator configured * Underlying LDAP server permits anonymous bind                                                                                                                                                    Vulnerability Description An authentication bypass vulnerability exists in Apache Druid when using the druid-basic-security extension with LDAP authentication. If the underlying LDAP server is configured to allow anonymous binds, an attacker can bypass authentication by providing an existing username with an empty password. This allows unauthorized access to otherwise restricted Druid resources without valid credentials. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of LDAP authentication responses when anonymous binds are permitted, effectively treating anonymous bind success as valid user authentication. Impact A remote, unauthenticated attacker can: * Gain unauthorized access to the Apache Druid cluster * Access sensitive data stored in Druid datasources * Execute queries and potentially manipulate data * Access administrative interfaces if the bypassed account has elevated privileges * Completely compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Druid deployment                                                                                                                                                                                     Mitigation   Immediate Mitigation (No Druid Upgrade Required):                                                                                                                                                   * Disable anonymous bind on your LDAP server. This prevents the vulnerability from being exploitable and is the recommended immediate action. Resolution * Upgrade Apache Druid to version 36.0.0 or later, which includes fixes to properly reject anonymous LDAP bind attempts.

The advisory is shared at lists.apache.org. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2026-23906. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. No form of authentication is needed for exploitation. Neither technical details nor an exploit are publicly available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 02/11/2026).

Upgrading to version 36.0.0 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Vendor

• Apache

Name

• Druid

Version

• 35.x

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.apache.org/

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