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Novel PlusApplication · Xxyopen

CVE-2025-4019

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-04-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.1.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, was found in 20120630 Novel-Plus up to 0e156c04b4b7ce0563bef6c97af4476fcda8f160. Affected is the function genCode of the file novel-admin/src/main/java/com/java2nb/common/controller/GeneratorController.java. The manipulation leads to missing authentication. It is possible to launch the attack remotely. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. The vendor was contacted early about this disclosure but did not respond in any way.

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

Novel-Plus up to version 0e156c04b4b7ce0563bef6c97af4476fcda8f160 contains a critical authentication bypass in the GeneratorController.java's genCode function. The function lacks authentication checks, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to access code generation functionality. This is exploitable remotely with no user interaction required.

MitigationImmediately add authentication enforcement to the genCode function in GeneratorController.java using framework authentication annotations (e.g., @PreAuthorize or role-based checks). Restrict access to authorized administrative users only.

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
Novel PlusApplication
Affected:< 5.1.1

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Check installed Novel-Plus version
    Locate the application version file or build metadata (such as pom.xml, application.properties, or a version manifest). Compare the version to the affected range: versions prior to 5.1.1 are vulnerable.
    Affected if Installed version is earlier than 5.1.1
  2. Locate GeneratorController.java source
    Find the GeneratorController.java file in the application source code. This controller typically resides in a package path containing 'generator' or 'controller'.
    Affected if The file exists in the codebase and the application runs a version earlier than 5.1.1
  3. Inspect genCode function for authentication
    Open GeneratorController.java and locate the genCode method. Examine whether the method declaration includes any authentication annotations such as @PreAuthorize, @Secured, @RolesAllowed, or a custom auth check, or whether the class-level security configuration protects it.
    Affected if The genCode function has no authentication annotation or security check applied
  4. Test code generation endpoint exposure
    If the application is running, send an unauthenticated HTTP request to the code generation endpoint (typically /genCode or /generator/genCode) using a tool like curl. Observe whether the request succeeds without returning an authentication error or redirect.
    Affected if The endpoint responds successfully without requiring authentication credentials

You are affected if your Novel-Plus version is earlier than 5.1.1 and the genCode function in GeneratorController.java lacks authentication enforcement, allowing unauthenticated access to the code generation feature.

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 5.1.1 or later
Fixed in 5.1.1
Interim mitigation

Immediately add authentication enforcement to the genCode function in GeneratorController.java using framework authentication annotations (e.g., @PreAuthorize or role-based checks). Restrict access to authorized administrative users only.

Recommended fix High confidence

5.1.1

  1. 1. Back up your current Novel Plus installation and database before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Download Novel Plus version 5.1.1 or later from the official project repository.
  3. 3. Stop the application server running the current Novel Plus instance.
  4. 4. Replace the existing application files with the new version 5.1.1 files.
  5. 5. Review and update any configuration files that may have changed between versions.
  6. 6. Start the application server and verify the application runs correctly.
  7. 7. Test the genCode functionality in GeneratorController to confirm the authentication is now properly enforced.
  8. 8. Verify that existing user accounts can authenticate normally.
Caveat Review release notes for 5.1.1 for any configuration or feature changes that may affect your deployment

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

Fix this in Novel Plus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2025-4019 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
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