CVE-2026-83525: Apache Kafka: Incorrect boolean operator in FetchSnapshot RPC handler allows authenticated network clients to crash the KRaft controller via a malformed request.

Incorrect operator (CWE-480) in the FetchSnapshot RPC handler in Apache Kafka from 2.8.0 before 4.2.2, and from 4.3.0 before 4.3.2 on all platforms allows an authenticated attacker with CLUSTERACTION privilege to cause a denial of service (controller process termination) via a crafted FetchSnapshotRequest with an empty topics array or a topic with no partitions.

Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.2.2, 4.3.2, or 4.4.0, which fix this issue. Users on unsupported branches (4.1.x and earlier) should upgrade to 4.2.2 or later.