Spring FrameworkFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2023-20863
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 prior to 5.2.24 release+ ,5.3.27+ and 6.0.8+ , it is possible for a user to provide a specially crafted SpEL expression that may cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.
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 confidenceA denial-of-service vulnerability exists in Spring Framework's SpEL (Spring Expression Language) parser. Users can provide specially crafted SpEL expressions that cause excessive resource consumption during expression parsing or evaluation, leading to service unavailability.
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, < 5.2.24>= 5.3.0, < 5.3.27>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.8CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Locate Spring Framework JAR filesSearch for spring-core*.jar, spring-expression*.jar, or springframework JAR files in your application deployment directory, lib folder, or classpath. Use: find /path/to/deploy -name 'spring*core*.jar' -o -name 'spring*expression*.jar' 2>/dev/nullAffected if Spring Framework JARs are present in your environment
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Determine the Spring Framework versionInspect the MANIFEST.MF file inside each Spring JAR or check pom.xml/build.gradle for version declarations. Example: unzip -p spring-core-*.jar META-INF/MMANIFEST.MF | grep Implementation-VersionAffected if The version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.2.0 and < 5.2.24, OR >= 5.3.0 and < 5.3.27, OR >= 6.0.0 and < 6.0.8
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Verify SpEL expression evaluation is in useSearch codebase for usage of SpEL: look for 'SpelExpressionParser', 'ExpressionParser', '@Value with ${}', or 'T(String)' expressions in Java/XML/annotation configs. Also check for any endpoint parameters that flow into expression evaluation.Affected if Your application parses or evaluates SpEL expressions, especially from user-supplied input or external sources
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Check for user-controlled input to SpELAudit code paths where request parameters, headers, or external data are passed to SpEL expression evaluation methods such as parser.parseExpression() or expression.getValue(). Review any templates containing SpEL.Affected if User-controllable data reaches SpEL parsing or evaluation logic
You are affected if Spring Framework versions 5.2.0-5.2.23, 5.3.0-5.3.26, or 6.0.0-6.0.7 are in use AND your application evaluates SpEL expressions, particularly with untrusted input.
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 · scoped5.2.245.3.276.0.8
Upgrade Spring Framework to version 5.2.24+, 5.3.27+, or 6.0.8+ which contain the patch for this vulnerability. Review any user-controlled input that flows into SpEL expression evaluation.
Spring Framework 5.2.24, 5.3.27, or 6.0.8 (or later)
- Identify current Spring Framework version in use (check pom.xml, build.gradle, or dependency management)
- Update Spring Framework dependency to version 5.2.24, 5.3.27, or 6.0.8 (or higher)
- Run build and tests to verify the upgrade does not break existing functionality
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Framework
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $4,288.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-20863 — 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-2023-20863 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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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