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CVE-2026-82266 – Unauthenticated Superuser Access – Redpanda through 26.2.2

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Summary

CVE-2026-82266 is a critical missing-authentication vulnerability (CWE-306) affecting Redpanda, a streaming data platform. Redpanda’s Admin API binds to 0.0.0.0:9644 by default and treats unauthenticated requests as superuser requests when the admin_api_require_auth setting is left at its default value of false. This allows any network-reachable attacker to perform full administrative actions on the cluster with no credentials, and the flaw carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical).

Technical details

  • Root cause: The Admin API listener defaults to binding all network interfaces (0.0.0.0:9644) rather than a loopback-only address, and the admin_api_require_auth configuration option defaults to false, causing any anonymous request to be processed with superuser privileges.
  • Trigger conditions: No special conditions are required beyond default configuration; a Redpanda deployment running with default settings and Admin API port 9644 reachable over the network is exploitable out of the box.
  • Attack vector: Network — remote, unauthenticated attackers only need TCP connectivity to port 9644.
  • Impact: Attackers can create and delete broker/user accounts, modify cluster-wide configuration (potentially exposing cloud storage credentials embedded in config), and disrupt partition replication, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the cluster.

Affected software

  • Redpanda (redpanda-data/redpanda) — all versions through and including 26.2.2 running with default configuration (admin_api_require_auth unset/false and Admin API bound to 0.0.0.0).

Severity

  • CVSS v3.1 Base Score: 9.8 (Critical)
  • Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
  • (Also scored as 9.3 Critical under CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N)

Mitigation and recommended actions

  • Immediate: As of this writing, no patched Redpanda release resolving the insecure default has been documented. Administrators should not rely on upgrading alone until a fix version is confirmed by the vendor — monitor Redpanda’s official release notes for a fix addressing this issue.
  • Workarounds / network mitigations:
    • Explicitly set admin_api_require_auth: true in redpanda.yaml for all clusters to require authentication on Admin API requests.
    • Bind the Admin API listener to a loopback or internal-only address (e.g., 127.0.0.1) instead of 0.0.0.0, or place port 9644 behind a firewall/network ACL that blocks external access.
    • Audit existing clusters for exposed port 9644 on the public internet and restrict access immediately.
    • Review cluster configuration and account lists for signs of unauthorized changes if the Admin API has been internet-exposed.

References

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