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ShiroApplication · Apache

CVE-2020-17523

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.7.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Apache Shiro before 1.7.1, when using Apache Shiro with Spring, a specially crafted HTTP request may cause an authentication bypass.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache Shiro versions before 1.7.1 contain an authentication bypass vulnerability when used in combination with Spring framework. Attackers can craft special HTTP requests to bypass the authentication mechanism and gain unauthorized access to protected resources.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Shiro to version 1.7.1 or later. After upgrading, thoroughly test all authentication flows and protected endpoints to confirm the bypass is remediated and no regressions were introduced.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
ShiroApplication
Affected:< 1.7.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache Shiro presence
    Search for Shiro JAR files in the application lib directory, or check build configuration files (pom.xml, build.gradle) for org.apache.shiro dependencies
    Affected if Apache Shiro is not found in the project dependencies or lib folders
  2. Determine Shiro version
    Check the Shiro JAR file name for the version number, or inspect the Maven/Gradle dependency tree for org.apache.shiro:shiro-core and note the resolved version
    Affected if The installed Shiro version is 1.7.0 or earlier (versions below 1.7.1)
  3. Verify Spring framework integration
    Check build configuration files for Spring framework dependencies (spring-*) or inspect the runtime classpath for Spring libraries used alongside Shiro
    Affected if Spring framework is present and integrated with Shiro for request handling
  4. Inspect authentication filter configuration
    Examine the Shiro configuration file (shiro.ini, shiro-config.xml, or Java-based Shiro configuration class) and look for authc or authcBasic filter definitions in the URL filter chain
    Affected if URL filters are configured to require authentication and the application relies on Shiro for access control

You are affected if Apache Shiro version 1.7.0 or earlier is deployed in a Spring-based application with Shiro handling authentication filters, as the authentication bypass can be triggered in this configuration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.7.1 or later
Fixed in 1.7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Shiro to version 1.7.1 or later. After upgrading, thoroughly test all authentication flows and protected endpoints to confirm the bypass is remediated and no regressions were introduced.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.7.1

  1. Verify the current Apache Shiro version in use by checking project dependencies (e.g., pom.xml for Maven, build.gradle for Gradle)
  2. Upgrade Apache Shiro to version 1.7.1 or later in your dependency configuration
  3. Rebuild and redeploy the application
  4. Test authentication functionality to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality
  5. Verify that the vulnerability is remediated by confirming the Shiro version is 1.7.1 or later

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Shiro Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,220
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,552.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-17523 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data