GHSA-J2Q8-XX3Q-8FQH
Vulnerability from github – Published: 2026-04-27 15:30 – Updated: 2026-05-05 22:06Improper Handling of TLS Client Authentication Failure Leading to Anonymous Principal Assignment in Apache Storm
Versions Affected: up to 2.8.7
Description: When TLS transport is enabled in Apache Storm without requiring client certificate authentication (the default configuration), the TlsTransportPlugin assigns a fallback principal (CN=ANONYMOUS) if no client certificate is presented or if certificate verification fails. The underlying SSLPeerUnverifiedException is caught and suppressed rather than rejecting the connection.
This fail-open behavior means an unauthenticated client can establish a TLS connection and receive a valid principal identity. If the configured authorizer (e.g., SimpleACLAuthorizer) does not explicitly deny access to CN=ANONYMOUS, this may result in unauthorized access to Storm services. The condition is logged at debug level only, reducing visibility in production.
Impact: Unauthenticated clients may be assigned a principal identity, potentially bypassing authorization in permissive or misconfigured environments.
Mitigation: Users should upgrade to 2.8.7 in which TLS authentication failures are handled in a fail-closed manner.
Users who cannot upgrade immediately should: - Enable mandatory client certificate authentication (nimbus.thrift.tls.client.auth.required: true) - Ensure authorization rules explicitly deny access to CN=ANONYMOUS - Review all ACL configurations for implicit default-allow behavior
{
"affected": [
{
"package": {
"ecosystem": "Maven",
"name": "org.apache.storm:storm-client"
},
"ranges": [
{
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.8.7"
}
],
"type": "ECOSYSTEM"
}
]
}
],
"aliases": [
"CVE-2026-41081"
],
"database_specific": {
"cwe_ids": [
"CWE-287"
],
"github_reviewed": true,
"github_reviewed_at": "2026-05-05T22:06:26Z",
"nvd_published_at": "2026-04-27T14:16:48Z",
"severity": "MODERATE"
},
"details": "Improper Handling of TLS Client Authentication Failure Leading to Anonymous Principal Assignment in Apache Storm\n\nVersions Affected: up to 2.8.7\n\nDescription: When TLS transport is enabled in Apache Storm without requiring client certificate authentication (the default configuration), the TlsTransportPlugin assigns a fallback principal (CN=ANONYMOUS) if no client certificate is presented or if certificate verification fails. The underlying SSLPeerUnverifiedException is caught and suppressed rather than rejecting the connection.\n\nThis fail-open behavior means an unauthenticated client can establish a TLS connection and receive a valid principal identity. If the configured authorizer (e.g., SimpleACLAuthorizer) does not explicitly deny access to CN=ANONYMOUS, this may result in unauthorized access to Storm services. The condition is logged at debug level only, reducing visibility in production.\n\nImpact: Unauthenticated clients may be assigned a principal identity, potentially bypassing authorization in permissive or misconfigured environments.\n\nMitigation: Users should upgrade to 2.8.7 in which TLS authentication failures are handled in a fail-closed manner.\n\nUsers who cannot upgrade immediately should:\n- Enable mandatory client certificate authentication (nimbus.thrift.tls.client.auth.required: true)\n- Ensure authorization rules explicitly deny access to CN=ANONYMOUS\n- Review all ACL configurations for implicit default-allow behavior",
"id": "GHSA-j2q8-xx3q-8fqh",
"modified": "2026-05-05T22:06:26Z",
"published": "2026-04-27T15:30:52Z",
"references": [
{
"type": "ADVISORY",
"url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-41081"
},
{
"type": "PACKAGE",
"url": "https://github.com/apache/storm"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "https://lists.apache.org/thread/plxx5l29dvplk5rwzdcq53rdfl6v4gs8"
},
{
"type": "WEB",
"url": "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/04/25/3"
}
],
"schema_version": "1.4.0",
"severity": [
{
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N",
"type": "CVSS_V3"
}
],
"summary": "Apache Storm\u0027s Improper Handling of TLS Client Authentication Failure Leads to Anonymous Principal Assignment"
}
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.