dbcve.org
Improper Input ValidationWeakness · CWE-20

CVE-2025-11226

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-10-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
75/100
Remediation priority · High
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
ACE vulnerability in conditional configuration file processing by QOS.CH logback-core up to and including version 1.5.18 in Java applications, allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code by compromising an existing logback configuration file or by injecting an environment variable before program execution. A successful attack requires the presence of Janino library and Spring Framework to be present on the user's class path. In addition, the attacker must  have write access to a configuration file. Alternatively, the attacker could inject a malicious environment variable pointing to a malicious configuration file. In both cases, the attack requires existing privilege.

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

Arbitrary code execution vulnerability in logback-core's conditional configuration processing allows attackers with write access to logback configuration files or ability to inject environment variables to execute malicious code when both Janino and Spring Framework are present on the classpath.

MitigationUpgrade logback-core to version 1.5.19 or later, restrict write access to configuration files, validate environment variables, and remove Janino library if not required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
Authentication
None
User interaction
None
Scope
P

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:L/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:P/AU:N/R:X/V:X/RE:M/U:Green

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 logback-core version
    Locate the logback-core JAR file in your classpath or dependencies (e.g., in lib/, WEB-INF/lib/, Maven dependencies, or container classpath) and check its version. Common locations: WEB-INF/lib for web apps, target/ for Maven builds, or the application's classpath. Use 'jar -tf logback-core-X.X.X.jar' or inspect your dependency manager output (mvn dependency:tree, Gradle dependencies) to find the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version of logback-core is earlier than 1.5.19 (e.g., 1.5.18, 1.5.0, 1.4.x, or 1.3.x series).
  2. Check if Janino library is present
    Search for janino JAR files in your deployment (lib/, WEB-INF/lib/, classpath) or in your dependency tree. Common artifact names: janino.jar, janino-complete.jar, or commons-compiler.jar which contains Janino. Look for 'janino' in dependency listings from Maven, Gradle, or your container's lib directory.
    Affected if Janino library (any janino-*.jar or commons-compiler containing Janino classes) is found on the classpath.
  3. Check if Spring Framework is present
    Search for Spring Framework JARs in your deployment or dependency list. Look for artifacts named spring-core, spring-beans, spring-context, or other spring-*.jar files. Use your build tool's dependency tree (mvn dependency:tree, gradle dependencies) to confirm Spring presence.
    Affected if Any Spring Framework JAR (spring-*.jar) is found on the classpath.
  4. Identify logback configuration files
    Locate logback.xml, logback.xml.groovy, logback-test.xml, or logback.groovy configuration files in your application's classpath, WEB-INF/classes, or working directory. Check application documentation or startup scripts for custom configuration file locations via system property 'logback.configurationFile'.
    Affected if Logback configuration files (logback.xml or logback.groovy) exist and are readable/writable by the application process.

You are affected if logback-core version is earlier than 1.5.19 AND both Janino and Spring Framework are present on the classpath, especially if logback configuration files or environment variables are accessible to untrusted users.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade logback-core to version 1.5.19 or later, restrict write access to configuration files, validate environment variables, and remove Janino library if not required.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

logback-core version 1.5.19 or later (or latest stable 1.5.x/1.6.x release)

  1. 1. Identify all Java applications in your environment that use logback-core with Janino and Spring Framework on the classpath.
  2. 2. Audit the logback configuration files (logback.xml, logback-spring.xml) in your applications for any unauthorized modifications.
  3. 3. Review environment variables used in your deployment pipelines that could point to logback configuration files.
  4. 4. Upgrade logback-core to version 1.5.19 or later (or the latest stable 1.5.x/1.6.x release) in all affected applications by updating the dependency in your build configuration (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or equivalent).
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify that the application starts correctly and logback configuration is loaded properly.
  6. 6. Ensure that logback configuration files have appropriate file system permissions to prevent unauthorized write access.
Caveat Minor: Upgrade within the same major.minor version should be low-risk; ensure Janino library version compatibility with the new logback version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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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-2025-11226 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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