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Spring FrameworkFramework / library · VMware

CVE-2024-38820

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.3.41 / 6.0.25 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
The fix for CVE-2022-22968 made disallowedFields patterns in DataBinder case insensitive. However, String.toLowerCase() has some Locale dependent exceptions that could potentially result in fields not protected as expected.

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

The fix for CVE-2022-22968 made DataBinder's disallowedFields patterns case-insensitive using String.toLowerCase(). However, toLowerCase() is Locale-dependent and has known issues (particularly with Turkish locale where 'I' and 'İ' convert unexpectedly) that can allow attackers to bypass field protection by using certain case variations that aren't properly converted to lowercase.

MitigationApply the latest Spring Framework patch that uses Locale-independent case conversion (toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT) or equivalent) to ensure consistent field matching across all locales.

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, < 5.3.41>= 6.0.0, < 6.0.25>= 6.1.0, < 6.1.14

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify Spring Framework version
    Check your project's dependencies (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or JAR manifest files) for spring-core or spring-framework-bom version. Also check the spring-core-X.jar file name in your deployment.
    Affected if The version is 5.3.0 through 5.3.40, 6.0.0 through 6.0.24, or 6.1.0 through 6.1.13.
  2. Verify DataBinder disallowedFields usage
    Search your codebase for usage of DataBinder, BindException, or WebDataBinder, especially calls to setDisallowedFields() or configurations that define protected fields.
    Affected if Your application explicitly configures disallowed fields for binding protection.
  3. Inspect the case conversion implementation
    Decompile or inspect the Spring Framework JAR file (spring-beans or spring-core). Look for the bind method in DataBinder or DirectFieldAccessor. Check if the code uses toLowerCase() without Locale.ROOT versus toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT).
    Affected if The code contains plain toLowerCase() calls in field matching logic rather than toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT) or toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT).
  4. Check runtime locale configuration
    Inspect the JVM system locale settings via System.getProperty("user.language") or check application locale configuration. In Turkish locale (tr_TR), the vulnerability is most pronounced.
    Affected if The application or JVM runs with Turkish (tr) or similar locale where I/i conversion behaves unexpectedly.

Your environment is affected if you run an affected Spring Framework version, use DataBinder's disallowedFields feature, have vulnerable toLowerCase() code (not Locale.ROOT), and run in a problematic locale like Turkish.

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 5.3.41 / 6.0.25 / 6.1.14 or later
Fixed in 5.3.416.0.256.1.14
Interim mitigation

Apply the latest Spring Framework patch that uses Locale-independent case conversion (toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT) or equivalent) to ensure consistent field matching across all locales.

Recommended fix High confidence

Spring Framework 5.3.41, 6.0.25, or 6.1.14 (depending on major version line in use)

  1. 1. Identify the current Spring Framework version in use by checking build configuration files (pom.xml, build.gradle, or dependency management)
  2. 2. Determine which major version line (5.3.x, 6.0.x, or 6.1.x) is in use
  3. 3. Upgrade Spring Framework to the appropriate fixed version: 5.3.41 for 5.3.x line, 6.0.25 for 6.0.x line, or 6.1.14 for 6.1.x line
  4. 4. Update the version in the build configuration file
  5. 5. Rebuild and test the application to ensure functionality remains intact
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade resolves the vulnerability by reviewing the DataBinder disallowedFields behavior
Caveat Point releases typically contain only bug fixes and security patches with minimal risk of breaking changes; review the release notes for the target version to confirm

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 / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
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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-2024-38820 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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