CVE-2026-82431
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AI Threat Summary
CVE-2026-82431 is a critical vulnerability with a CVSS score of 9.8 affecting the target software. Threat hunters should monitor for exploit attempts and apply vendor patches immediately.
Description
Description `SimpleACLAuthorizer` evaluated the user-level command set by returning early when `nimbus.users` was empty, before `nimbus.groups` was considered. An operator who restricted cluster access by group alone, leaving `nimbus.users` unset, therefore received no restriction at all: every authenticated principal was permitted every user-level operation, including `submitTopology`, `beginFileUpload` and `getNimbusConf`. `docs/SECURITY.md` presents `nimbus.groups` as a supported way to lock down a cluster, so a deployment following the documentation could believe it was restricted while it was not. The failure is silent; nothing in the logs or the configuration indicates that the group list is being ignored. Both lists left empty continues to mean that no restriction is configured, which is the shipped default and is unchanged. Mitigation Upgrade to 3.1.0, where `nimbus.groups` is evaluated whether or not `nimbus.users` is set. Users who cannot upgrade immediately should additionally populate `nimbus.users` with the intended principals, since a non-empty user list causes the group list to be evaluated on affected versions. Operators should review Nimbus access logs for operations by principals outside the intended groups. Note that after upgrading, a cluster configured with `nimbus.groups` alone becomes restrictive for the first time. This includes `NimbusClient`, which calls `getLeader` on every connection, so clients outside the configured groups will begin to be refused. Credit The ASF -- found using Claude agents to study the security of open-source projects, validated and reported by Apache Storm.
Attack Chain
Attacker identifies vulnerable service instances using Shodan, Censys, or active scanning
Attacker crafts malicious payload exploiting CVE-2026-82431 to achieve remote code execution
Attacker executes arbitrary OS commands or shellcode in the context of the vulnerable process
Attacker installs backdoor, cron job, or web shell for persistent access
Attacker uses compromised host as pivot point to access internal network resources
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
Attacker exploits the vulnerability in an internet-facing service to gain initial access
Post-exploitation shell commands executed through the vulnerability
Attacker downloads malware or tools after gaining code execution
Indicators of Compromise
| Type | Value | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| user_agent | Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; exploit/1.0) |
Generic exploit scanner user agent pattern | |
| url | /api/vuln-endpoint?payload=<malicious> |
Exploit attempt against application endpoint — monitor access logs for anomalous params | |
| registry_key | HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\backdoor |
Persistence mechanism after successful RCE |
Remediation
Quick Facts
| CVE ID | CVE-2026-82431 |
| CVSS Score | 9.8 |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | 2026-09-14 |
| Exploited | No |
| CISA KEV | No |
| PoC | Available |