Apache ZooKeeper <=3.8.5 ZKTrustManager Reverse DNS Fallback
CVE-2026-24281 Published on March 7, 2026
Apache ZooKeeper: Reverse-DNS fallback enables hostname verification bypass in ZooKeeper ZKTrustManager
Hostname verification in Apache ZooKeeper ZKTrustManager falls back to reverse DNS (PTR) when IP SAN validation fails, allowing attackers who control or spoof PTR records to impersonate ZooKeeper servers or clients with a valid certificate for the PTR name. It's important to note that attacker must present a certificate which is trusted by ZKTrustManager which makes the attack vector harder to exploit. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.8.6 or 3.9.5, which fixes this issue by introducing a new configuration option to disable reverse DNS lookup in client and quorum protocols.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-24281 can be exploited with network access, and does not require authorization privileges or user interaction. This vulnerability is consided to have a high level of attack complexity. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to have no impact on confidentiality, a high impact on integrity, and no impact on availability.
Weakness Types
Reliance on Reverse DNS Resolution for a Security-Critical Action
The software performs reverse DNS resolution on an IP address to obtain the hostname and make a security decision, but it does not properly ensure that the IP address is truly associated with the hostname.
Improper Certificate Validation
The software does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. When a certificate is invalid or malicious, it might allow an attacker to spoof a trusted entity by interfering in the communication path between the host and client. The software might connect to a malicious host while believing it is a trusted host, or the software might be deceived into accepting spoofed data that appears to originate from a trusted host.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-24281
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Affected Versions
Apache Software Foundation Apache ZooKeeper:- Version 3.9.0, <= 3.9.4 is affected.
- Version 3.8.0, <= 3.8.5 is affected.
Exploit Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) scores estimate the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. The percentile shows you how this score compares to all other vulnerabilities.