Spring FrameworkFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2022-22968
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 · uneditedIn Spring Framework versions 5.3.0 - 5.3.18, 5.2.0 - 5.2.20, and older unsupported versions, the patterns for disallowedFields on a DataBinder are case sensitive which means a field is not effectively protected unless it is listed with both upper and lower case for the first character of the field, including upper and lower case for the first character of all nested fields within the property path.
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 confidenceSpring DataBinder's disallowedFields protection is case-sensitive, allowing attackers to bypass field restrictions by using case variations (e.g., 'User.name' vs 'user.name') in mass assignment requests. This affects all nested field paths where only one case pattern is specified.
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
Spring FrameworkFramework / library
< 5.2.0>= 5.2.0, <= 5.2.20>= 5.3.0, <= 5.3.18
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versions<= 8.0.29CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Spring Framework versionInspect your project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, or equivalent) to find the declared Spring Framework version. Also check any bundled library jars for spring-core or spring-beans version strings.Affected if The installed version is < 5.2.0, between 5.2.0 and 5.2.20 inclusive, or between 5.3.0 and 5.3.18 inclusive.
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Locate DataBinder usage with field restrictionsSearch your Java source code for usages of DataBinder, @InitBinder, or WebDataBinder configuration. Look for calls to setDisallowedFields or similar methods that define field blacklist patterns.Affected if Your application uses DataBinder with setDisallowedFields or equivalent to block certain fields from mass assignment.
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Examine disallowedFields patterns for case coverageReview the field patterns defined in your disallowedFields configuration. Check if each nested field path appears only in one case variation (for example, only 'User.name' or only 'user.name' but not both).Affected if Any disallowedFields pattern specifies a field path using only a single case pattern without including both uppercase and lowercase first-character variants.
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Check for exposed endpoints accepting request parametersIdentify controller endpoints or request handlers that accept external input and bind it to object properties. Look for @RequestParam, @ModelAttribute, or form submissions where request parameters map directly to object fields.Affected if Your application exposes endpoints that accept arbitrary request parameters capable of binding to object fields through DataBinder.
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Review NetApp product installationsFor NetApp products (Active Iq Unified Manager, Cloud Secure Agent, Metrocluster Tiebreaker, Snap Creator Framework, Snapmanager), check the installed product version through the product's native version command or administrative interface.Affected if Any listed NetApp product is installed, as all versions are affected per the CVE.
You are affected if your environment uses a vulnerable Spring Framework version AND uses DataBinder's disallowedFields with case-limited patterns, or if you run any of the affected NetApp products.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped5.2.0
Update to Spring Framework 5.3.19+, 5.2.21+, or older supported versions. Alternatively, ensure all disallowedFields patterns include both uppercase and lowercase first-character variations for each field in the path.
Spring Framework 5.3.19+ or 5.2.21+ (or latest 5.3.x stable release)
- 1. Identify the specific Spring Framework version in use by examining project dependencies (e.g., pom.xml, build.gradle, or the spring-core JAR manifest)
- 2. For Spring Framework 5.3.x: upgrade to version 5.3.19 or later
- 3. For Spring Framework 5.2.x: upgrade to version 5.2.21 or later
- 4. For Spring Framework 5.1.x or earlier: upgrade to a supported release line (5.3.x recommended)
- 5. Verify the upgrade by rebuilding and running tests, particularly any tests involving DataBinder and field protection
- 6. For NetApp products (Active IQ Unified Manager, Cloud Secure Agent, Metrocluster Tiebreaker, Snap Creator Framework, Snapmanager): apply the appropriate NetApp patch from security.netapp.com
- 7. For MySQL Enterprise Monitor: upgrade to version 8.0.30 or later, or apply Oracle's Critical Patch Update
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Framework
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,720.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-22968 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-22968 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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