Medium severity · published Sep 16, 2026
CVE-2026-84439
Apache ZooKeeper: Audit log injection via unsanitized output from multiple sources
5.3
CVSS
0.7%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
When audit logging is enabled (zookeeper.audit.enable=true), an unauthenticated attacker can inject arbitrary fields into Apache ZooKeeper's audit log by sending a digest authentication request with tab characters (\t) embedded in the username. Because the audit log uses tab-separated key=value format, the injected tabs are parsed as legitimate field separators, allowing the attacker to spoof audit results (e.g., injecting result=success), forge operation types, and corrupt forensic evidence. A log injection vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper allows a client that can call setACL to inject forged key-value fields into zookeeper_audit.log. When audit logging is enabled, the server serializes attacker-controlled digest ACL ids into the acl= audit field without escaping tab characters. Because audit events are emitted as tab-separated key=value records, a crafted ACL id can make one successful setAcl event appear to contain forged fields such as operation=delete and znode=/forged. This undermines the integrity of downstream audit parsing, alerting, and incident response. 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 3.9.6 or 3.8.7, which fixes the issue.
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.7% · higher than 54% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
AZ
Apache ZooKeeper · Apache Software Foundation
3.9.0 through 3.9.5; 3.8.0 through 3.8.6 · source: vendor
ZO
Zookeeper · Apache
3.8.0 before 3.8.7; 3.9.0 before 3.9.6 · source: NVD
Affected product
AZ
Apache ZooKeeper
Apache Software Foundation
More from Apache ZooKeeper
7.5
CVE-2026-79993
Apache ZooKeeper: Missing ACL check on deleteContainer opcode allows unauthorized deletion of any empty persistent/container znode
7.5
CVE-2026-59969
Apache ZooKeeper: Improper validation of certificate with host mismatch in FIPS mode
7.5
CVE-2026-59739
Apache ZooKeeper: Information disclosure via SetWatches reconnect replay
7.5
CVE-2026-24308
Apache ZooKeeper: Sensitive information disclosure in client configuration handling
7.4
CVE-2026-24281
Apache ZooKeeper: Reverse-DNS fallback enables hostname verification bypass in ZooKeeper ZKTrustManager