Spring SecurityFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2023-20862
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 Security, versions 5.7.x prior to 5.7.8, versions 5.8.x prior to 5.8.3, and versions 6.0.x prior to 6.0.3, the logout support does not properly clean the security context if using serialized versions. Additionally, it is not possible to explicitly save an empty security context to the HttpSessionSecurityContextRepository. This vulnerability can keep users authenticated even after they performed logout. Users of affected versions should apply the following mitigation. 5.7.x users should upgrade to 5.7.8. 5.8.x users should upgrade to 5.8.3. 6.0.x users should upgrade to 6.0.3.
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 confidenceIn Spring Security, the logout functionality fails to properly clear the serialized security context from the HttpSession when using session-based authentication. This allows an attacker or user to remain authenticated and retain access privileges even after initiating logout, because the security context is not fully invalidated in the session repository.
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
>= 5.7.0, < 5.7.8>= 5.8.0, < 5.8.3>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.3
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
all 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 versionExamine your project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, or similar) for the spring-security-core or spring-security-web dependency and note the exact version numberAffected if The version falls within 5.7.0 to 5.7.7, 5.8.0 to 5.8.2, or 6.0.0 to 6.0.2
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Confirm session-based authentication is in useInspect your Spring Security configuration for HttpSecurity configuration that stores authentication in the session, such as .sessionManagement().sessionCreationPolicy(SessionCreationPolicy.IF_REQUIRED) or default session-based login mechanismsAffected if Session-based authentication is configured and the application relies on HttpSession to store the security context
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Verify logout endpoint existsCheck your security configuration for a logout configuration, typically via .logout() in your SecurityFilterChain or HttpSecurity, and identify the logout URL endpointAffected if A logout mechanism is configured and exposed (such as /logout by default or custom)
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Inspect session repository after logoutAfter invoking the logout endpoint, examine the HttpSession directly (via debugging or session inspection) to see if the SPRING_SECURITY_CONTEXT attribute or serialized security context still exists in the sessionAffected if The serialized security context attribute remains present in the session after logout is successfully completed
Your environment is affected if you use Spring Security versions 5.7.0-5.7.7, 5.8.0-5.8.2, or 6.0.0-6.0.2 with session-based authentication and the session still contains the security context after calling logout.
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 · scoped5.7.85.8.36.0.3
Upgrade Spring Security to version 5.7.8, 5.8.3, or 6.0.3 or later to receive the patch that properly clears the serialized security context on logout.
Spring Security 5.7.8, 5.8.3, or 6.0.3 (depending on your current major version)
- Identify your build system (Maven or Gradle) and locate the Spring Security dependency configuration file (pom.xml or build.gradle)
- Update the Spring Security version to the appropriate fixed version: 5.7.8 for 5.7.x, 5.8.3 for 5.8.x, or 6.0.3 for 6.0.x
- Run your build tool to resolve the new dependencies (e.g., mvn clean install or ./gradlew build)
- Execute your test suite to verify that logout functionality works correctly and no regressions are introduced
- Deploy the updated application to your environment
- Verify that users are properly logged out and the security context is cleared by testing the logout flow
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Security
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20862 — 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-2023-20862 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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