CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2023-51437 — Apache Pulsar security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.4

Observable timing discrepancy vulnerability in Apache Pulsar SASL Authentication Provider can allow an attacker to forge a SASL Role Token that will pass signature verification. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.11.3, 3.0.2, or 3.1.1 which fixes the issue. Users should also consider updating the configured secret in the `saslJaasServerRoleTokenSignerSecretPath` file. Any component matching an above version running the SASL Authentication Provider is affected. That includes the Pulsar Broker, Proxy, Websocket Proxy, or Function Worker. 2.11 Pulsar users should upgrade to at least 2.11.3. 3.0 Pulsar users should upgrade to at least 3.0.2. 3.1 Pulsar users should upgrade to at least 3.1.1. Any users running Pulsar 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, and earlier should upgrade to one of the above patched versions. For additional details on this attack vector, please refer to https://codahale.com/a-lesson-in-timing-attacks/ .

Severity
High
CVSS
7.4 (3.1)
Published
2024-02-07
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-203

Affected products

  • apache / pulsar
  • apache / pulsar / 3.1.0

Showing 2 representative product identities from 5 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Information disclosure and sensitive data exposure

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace sensitive data through responses, errors, logs, metrics, traces, caches, exports, files, backups, and client bundles.
  • Identify affected subjects, tenants, retention windows, access controls, and downstream copies without opening unnecessary sensitive records.
  • Review metadata, timing, status, length, and existence signals as well as direct content disclosure.

Remediate safely

  • Minimize collection and output, apply field-level authorization and redaction at a centralized boundary, and return generic external errors.
  • Remove secrets and sensitive data from logs, artifacts, URLs, caches, and client-side bundles; rotate credentials that may have been exposed.
  • Update the affected component and add synthetic-data tests for response, error, observability, and export paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.