Spring GrpcFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2026-40969
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 · uneditedThe raw message of every server-side AuthenticationException is returned to the unauthenticated remote caller in the gRPC status description. This allows an attacker to obtain information about the authentication failure, which may be useful for further attacks. Affected versions: Spring gRPC: 1.0.0 - 1.0.2 (fixed in 1.0.3). Older, unsupported versions are also affected.
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 confidenceSpring gRPC versions 1.0.0-1.0.2 expose raw AuthenticationException messages to unauthenticated remote callers through gRPC status descriptions, leaking potentially sensitive authentication failure details that could aid further attacks.
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 GrpcFramework / library
< 1.0.3CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Spring gRPC versionCheck your project's dependency management file (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or equivalent) for the spring-grpc version entry, or run a dependency inspection command such as 'mvn dependency:list' or 'gradle dependencies' and search for 'spring-grpc'Affected if The version listed is 1.0.0, 1.0.1, or 1.0.2
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Confirm gRPC server is network-accessibleReview your application configuration or deployment setup to determine if the gRPC server binds to a network interface that is accessible from remote systems (0.0.0.0, external IP, or non-loopback address) rather than localhost onlyAffected if The gRPC server listens on a non-localhost address or port that is reachable from remote systems
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Verify gRPC authentication is in useInspect your gRPC server configuration and service definitions to confirm that authentication mechanisms (such as Spring Security with gRPC, JWT, or custom AuthInterceptor) are configured for your gRPC endpointsAffected if Authentication is enforced on gRPC endpoints and unauthenticated requests would trigger AuthenticationException responses
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Test response behavior for authentication failuresSend an unauthenticated or invalidly-authenticated gRPC request to your endpoint and capture the gRPC status and description returned in the responseAffected if The gRPC status description contains raw exception message text (such as 'BadCredentialsException', 'Authentication failed for user', or similar exception class names and messages) rather than a sanitized generic message
You are affected if Spring gRPC version 1.0.0-1.0.2 is running with a network-accessible gRPC server that returns raw AuthenticationException messages in gRPC status descriptions to unauthenticated callers.
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 · scoped1.0.3
Upgrade to Spring gRPC version 1.0.3 or later which properly sanitizes exception messages returned to unauthenticated callers.
Spring Grpc 1.0.3
- Update the Spring Grpc dependency in your project to version 1.0.3
- If using Maven, update the version in your pom.xml: change the version of spring-grpc dependency to 1.0.3
- If using Gradle, update the version in your build.gradle or build.gradle.kts file
- Verify that the upgrade resolves the AuthenticationException information disclosure by testing gRPC authentication failure scenarios
- Rebuild and redeploy the application with the updated dependency
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Grpc
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-40969 — 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-2026-40969 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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