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Spring FrameworkFramework / library · VMware

CVE-2023-20860

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.26 / 6.0.7 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Spring Framework running version 6.0.0 - 6.0.6 or 5.3.0 - 5.3.25 using "**" as a pattern in Spring Security configuration with the mvcRequestMatcher creates a mismatch in pattern matching between Spring Security and Spring MVC, and the potential for a security 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

In Spring Security configurations using mvcRequestMatcher with the '**' pattern (wildcard matching any path), there is a mismatch between how Spring Security and Spring MVC interpret this pattern. This allows attackers to potentially access protected resources that should be restricted by security rules, resulting in a security bypass.

MitigationUpgrade Spring Framework to version 6.0.7 or later, or 5.3.26 or later. Alternatively, review and update Spring Security configurations to avoid using '**' patterns with mvcRequestMatcher, and verify that security rules correctly protect all intended endpoints.

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
Affected:>= 5.3.0, < 5.3.26>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.7

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify Spring Framework version
    Inspect your project's dependency manifest (pom.xml or build.gradle) or list the spring-core JAR file in your classpath to find the exact version number, then compare against the affected ranges: 5.3.0 to 5.3.25, or 6.0.0 to 6.0.6
    Affected if The installed version falls within either 5.3.0 <= version < 5.3.26 or 6.0.0 <= version < 6.0.7
  2. Confirm Spring Security is in use
    Search your project dependencies for spring-security-core, spring-security-web, or related Spring Security JARs to determine if Spring Security is configured
    Affected if Spring Security libraries are present in the application classpath
  3. Locate Spring Security configuration
    Find Java configuration classes annotated with @EnableWebSecurity or XML security configuration files in your project source
    Affected if Spring Security configuration files exist in the project
  4. Check for mvcRequestMatcher usage with ** pattern
    Search security configuration files for occurrences of 'mvcRequestMatcher' combined with patterns containing '**' (such as '/**' or '**/path')
    Affected if A mvcRequestMatcher is configured with a '**' wildcard pattern in the security rules

You are affected if your Spring Framework version is vulnerable AND your Spring Security configuration uses mvcRequestMatcher with a '**' pattern, allowing potential bypass of intended access controls.

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 5.3.26 / 6.0.7 or later
Fixed in 5.3.266.0.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Spring Framework to version 6.0.7 or later, or 5.3.26 or later. Alternatively, review and update Spring Security configurations to avoid using '**' patterns with mvcRequestMatcher, and verify that security rules correctly protect all intended endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

Spring Framework 5.3.26 (for 5.3.x line) or 6.0.7 (for 6.0.x line)

  1. Identify your current Spring Framework version by checking your build configuration (pom.xml, build.gradle, or dependencies)
  2. For Spring Framework 5.3.x: Upgrade to version 5.3.26
  3. For Spring Framework 6.0.x: Upgrade to version 6.0.7
  4. Update the version in your build configuration file
  5. Run your test suite to verify the application functions correctly after the upgrade
  6. Deploy to production once testing passes
Caveat Patch releases are generally backward compatible; review the 5.3.26 and 6.0.7 release notes for any specific changes that may affect your application

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
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2023-20860 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