Spring BootFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2026-40977
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 · uneditedWhen an application is configured to use `ApplicationPidFileWriter`, a local attacker with write access to the PID file's location can corrupt one file on the host each time the application is started. Affected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5 (fix 4.0.6), 3.5.0–3.5.13 (fix 3.5.14), 3.4.0–3.4.15 (fix 3.4.16), 3.3.0–3.3.18 (fix 3.3.19), 2.7.0–2.7.32 (fix 2.7.33); PID file / symlink behavior (`ApplicationPidFileWriter`). Versions that are no longer supported are also affected per vendor advisory.
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 Boot's ApplicationPidFileWriter writes a PID file to a configurable location. A local attacker with write access to that location can place a symlink or manipulate file creation, causing the application to overwrite/corrupt one file on the host each time it starts. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of the PID file path during startup.
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 BootFramework / library
< 2.7.33>= 3.3.0, < 3.3.19>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.16>= 3.5.0, < 3.5.14>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.6CVSS 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
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Spring Boot versionCheck the spring-boot-core JAR manifest or your build artifact version (pom.xml, build.gradle)Affected if The version falls within any of these ranges: < 2.7.33, >= 3.3.0 and < 3.3.19, >= 3.4.0 and < 3.4.16, >= 3.5.0 and < 3.5.14, >= 4.0.0 and < 4.0.6
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Confirm ApplicationPidFileWriter is activeLook for the class org.springframework.boot.context.ApplicationListener or check for META-INF/spring.factories containing ApplicationPidFileWriter under the org.springframework.context.ApplicationListener keyAffected if ApplicationPidFileWriter is registered as an ApplicationListener and will execute on startup
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Locate configured PID file directoryCheck the property 'spring.pid.file' in your application.properties or application.yml, or inspect the default location which is typically the working directoryAffected if A PID file path is configured or defaults to a writable directory location
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Verify directory permissions on PID file locationInspect file system permissions (ls -la) on the directory where the PID file will be writtenAffected if The directory is writable by a user other than the application owner (world-writable or group-writable with other users in that group)
You are affected if your Spring Boot version is vulnerable AND ApplicationPidFileWriter is enabled AND the PID file directory has permissive write access allowing a local attacker to create a symlink before startup.
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 · scoped2.7.333.3.193.4.16
Upgrade Spring Boot to versions 4.0.6, 3.5.14, 3.4.16, 3.3.19, or 2.7.33 or later. Additionally, ensure the PID file directory has restricted permissions to prevent unauthorized write access.
Upgrade to Spring Boot 2.7.33 (for 2.7.x), 3.3.19 (for 3.3.x), 3.4.16 (for 3.4.x), 3.5.14 (for 3.5.x), or 4.0.6 (for 4.0.x) depending on your current major version line
- 1. Identify your current Spring Boot version by checking pom.xml (maven) or build.gradle (gradle) for the spring-boot.version property or parent dependency
- 2. Determine which upgrade path applies based on your current version: for Spring Boot 2.7.x upgrade to 2.7.33; for 3.3.x upgrade to 3.3.19; for 3.4.x upgrade to 3.4.16; for 3.5.x upgrade to 3.5.14; for 4.0.x upgrade to 4.0.6
- 3. Update the version in your build configuration: change <version>2.7.32</version> or org.springframework.boot.version property to the appropriate fixed version
- 4. Run mvn clean install or ./gradlew build to verify the upgrade compiles successfully
- 5. Test the application startup in a non-production environment to confirm ApplicationPidFileWriter still functions correctly
- 6. Ensure the PID file directory has appropriate permissions to prevent untrusted local users from creating or modifying files
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring Boot
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-40977 — 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-2026-40977 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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