CVE-2026-84501

Apache ZooKeeper: Operational log forgery via newline injection in EnsembleAuthenticationProvider

MEDIUM
5.3
CVSS Score
Published: September 16, 2026 at 09:28 AM UTC
Updated: September 18, 2026 at 02:49 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorZookeeper

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Severity
MEDIUM5.3
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.7%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

An unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary fake log lines into Apache ZooKeeper's operational log by sending a crafted add_auth("ensemble", ...) request containing newline characters (\n). When the ensemble name doesn't match, EnsembleAuthenticationProvider.handleAuthentication() logs the raw, unsanitized name via LOG.warn(). Because SLF4J's {} placeholder preserves embedded newlines, the attacker can forge complete log entries — with arbitrary timestamps, log levels, class names, and messages — that are visually indistinguishable from genuine ZooKeeper log output. This issue affects Apache ZooKeeper: from 3.9.0 through 3.9.5, from 3.8.0 through 3.8.6. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.8.7 or 3.9.6, which fixes the issue.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

3.8.0 ≤ v ≤ 3.8.63.8.0 ≤ v < 3.8.73.9.0 ≤ v ≤ 3.9.53.9.0 ≤ v < 3.9.63.8.03.9.0
Affected range stops below 3.8.7, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
Affected range stops below 3.9.6, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

References (2)

Vendor AdvisoryMailing List
Source: cverecord
https://lists.apache.org/thread/ohby1g6zjt72p0w79rhbr41nczzvr33y
Mailing List
Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/09/15/7

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitAutomatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

5.3MEDIUMCISA-ADP
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
LOW
Availability
NONE
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusANALYZED
CWE
CWE-117

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