Spring SecurityFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2022-31690
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 · uneditedSpring Security, versions 5.7 prior to 5.7.5, and 5.6 prior to 5.6.9, and older unsupported versions could be susceptible to a privilege escalation under certain conditions. A malicious user or attacker can modify a request initiated by the Client (via the browser) to the Authorization Server which can lead to a privilege escalation on the subsequent approval. This scenario can happen if the Authorization Server responds with an OAuth2 Access Token Response containing an empty scope list (per RFC 6749, Section 5.1) on the subsequent request to the token endpoint to obtain the access token.
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 Security's OAuth2 authorization code flow contains a privilege escalation vulnerability where an attacker can modify client requests to the Authorization Server after receiving an empty scope list response, allowing them to obtain elevated permissions on the token endpoint. This occurs when the Authorization Server returns an empty scope (per RFC 6749 Section 5.1) and the subsequent token request can be manipulated.
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 SecurityFramework / library
>= 5.6.0, < 5.6.9>= 5.7.0, < 5.7.5all versionsCVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Spring Security versionLocate the spring-security-version jar file in your project dependencies, or run 'mvn dependency:tree | grep spring-security' for Maven projects, or check build.gradle for Gradle projects. The version is typically in the jar name (e.g., spring-security-core-5.6.5.jar) or dependency declaration.Affected if The version is 5.6.0 through 5.6.8, or 5.7.0 through 5.7.4 (or any 5.6.x below 5.6.9, or 5.7.x below 5.7.5)
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Confirm OAuth2 authorization code flow is in useReview your application configuration for OAuth2 client registration using authorization code flow. Look for 'authorizationGrantType=authorization_code' in @RegisteredOAuthClient or equivalent XML/Java config, or check for OAuth2 client dependencies and security configuration enabling OAuth2 login.Affected if Your application uses OAuth2 authorization code flow for authentication or as an OAuth2 client
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Check for empty scope handling in token requestsInspect the OAuth2 client configuration to see if your application requests specific scopes from the Authorization Server, and whether it handles an empty scope response from the token endpoint without validating that the granted scopes match what was requested.Affected if Your OAuth2 client requests scopes but does not validate that the token response contains matching scope values, allowing an attacker to manipulate scope grants
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Review NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager installationIf using NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager, note that all versions are affected. Check product documentation or installation directory for version information.Affected if NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager is deployed in your environment (all versions are affected)
You are affected if your environment runs Spring Security 5.6.0-5.6.8 or 5.7.0-5.7.4 (or NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager of any version) AND uses OAuth2 authorization code flow where scope validation on token responses is not enforced.
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 · scoped5.6.95.7.5
Upgrade Spring Security to version 5.7.5 or later for the 5.7 branch, or 5.6.9 or later for the 5.6 branch. Alternatively, upgrade to newer supported versions.
Spring Security 5.6.9 or 5.7.5 (or later 5.7.x releases)
- 1. Identify the current Spring Security version in your project by checking your dependency management (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or your Spring Boot parent POM)
- 2. If using Spring Boot, note that Spring Security version is managed by spring-boot-starter-parent - ensure you upgrade Spring Boot to a version that pulls the fixed Spring Security
- 3. For Spring Security 5.6.x: upgrade to version 5.6.9 or later
- 4. For Spring Security 5.7.x: upgrade to version 5.7.5 or later
- 5. For Maven: update the spring-security.version property or direct dependency, e.g., <spring-security.version>5.7.5</spring-security.version>
- 6. For Gradle: update ext['springSecurityVersion'] = '5.7.5' or update the dependency directly
- 7. Rebuild your application and run all OAuth2-related tests to verify the fix
- 8. Verify there are no other transitive dependencies pinning older Spring Security versions
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Security
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-31690 — 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-2022-31690 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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