# CVE-2026-111496: Apache Kafka: Kafka Streams StreamThread hang from integer overflow in stream-time punctuation


- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f6x4-cq8q-x8cq, UBUNTU-CVE-2026-111496

## What is CVE-2026-111496?

CVE-2026-111496 is a vulnerability in Apache Kafka, published on 28 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

Kafka Streams derives its stream-time clock from record timestamps. PunctuationSchedule.next() computed the next punctuation time as timestamp + (intervalsMissed + 1) * interval with no overflow check. A record with a timestamp at or near Long.MAX_VALUE advances stream time to that value, so the next stream-time punctuation overflows to a negative time. PunctuationQueue then re-queues that time and loops on it indefinitely while holding a lock, stalling the StreamThread.

Impact:

A single record is enough. The affected StreamThread stops processing, and because the record stays in the topic the hang returns on restart; an application whose partitions are all affected becomes unresponsive. Only the Streams application is affected, not the brokers or the cluster. Triggering it needs write access to a source topic whose topology uses stream-time punctuation, and a broker that stores the record: brokers from Apache Kafka 4.0.0 reject such a timestamp by default (log.message.timestamp.after.max.ms, one hour), so it is reachable only on older brokers or where that bound has been relaxed.

Mitigation:

Upgrade Kafka Streams to 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0. As defense in depth, keep log.message.timestamp.after.max.ms bounded on source topics and restrict write access to them.

Resolution:

From Apache Kafka 4.2.2, 4.3.2, and 4.4.0: the next punctuation time is computed with overflow-checked arithmetic (clamped to Long.MAX_VALUE), and a rescheduled punctuation is re-queued only when its time moves forward.

Weakness: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition), CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-111496?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-111496?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-111496 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-111496 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-111496 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-111496 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-111496 is a vulnerability in Apache Kafka, published on 28 Oct 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-111496 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Apache Kafka. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-111496/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-111496/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-111496
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-111496
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-111496

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-111496/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.