Spring For GraphqlFramework / library · VMware
CVE-2026-41856
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 Spring GraphQL annotation detection mechanism for @Controller data fetchers may not correctly resolve annotations on methods within type hierarchies. This can be an issue if such annotations are used for authorization decisions. When all conditions are met, security annotations can be ignored at runtime. Affected versions: Spring for GraphQL 2.0.0 through 2.0.3; 1.4.0 through 1.4.5; 1.3.0 through 1.3.8; 1.0.0 through 1.0.6.
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 GraphQL's annotation detection mechanism for @Controller data fetchers fails to properly resolve annotations on methods within type hierarchies (inheritance). This causes security annotations used for authorization decisions to be silently ignored at runtime when they are placed on methods in parent classes or interfaces rather than directly on the implementing methods.
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 For GraphqlFramework / library
>= 1.0.0, < 1.0.7>= 1.3.0, < 1.3.9>= 1.4.0, < 1.4.5.1>= 2.0.0, < 2.0.3.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 Spring GraphQL versionCheck your project's dependency management file (pom.xml, build.gradle, or the JAR manifest in the deployed application) for the spring-graphql or spring-boot-starter-graphql versionAffected if The version is 1.0.0 through 1.0.6, 1.3.0 through 1.3.8, 1.4.0 through 1.4.5, or 2.0.0 through 2.0.3
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Locate GraphQL controller classesSearch for classes annotated with @Controller or @GraphQLController that extend a base class (look for 'extends' keyword in the class declaration)Affected if Any GraphQL controller class inherits from a parent class
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Inspect base classes for security annotationsExamine the parent/base classes that GraphQL controllers extend, looking for Spring security annotations such as @PreAuthorize, @Secured, or @RolesAllowed on methodsAffected if The base class contains security annotations on methods that should enforce authorization for GraphQL data fetchers
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Verify annotation inheritance configurationCheck if @Inherited annotation is present on the security annotations in the base class (it typically is not by default for method-level annotations)Affected if The security annotations do not use @Inherited, meaning they will not be detected on subclassed methods
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Test runtime authorization behaviorInvoke GraphQL queries or mutations through the data fetcher methods that inherit from the base class and observe whether the security checks are enforcedAffected if The security annotations from the base class are not being applied, allowing unauthorized access to the GraphQL operations
You are affected if your Spring GraphQL version is within the vulnerable ranges AND you have GraphQL controllers that inherit from base classes containing security annotations, because those annotations will not be detected at runtime and authorization will be bypassed.
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 · scoped1.0.71.3.91.4.5.1
Upgrade to Spring for GraphQL versions 2.0.4, 1.4.6, 1.3.9, 1.0.7 or later to receive the patch. Avoid placing authorization annotations on methods in type hierarchies until patched.
Spring for GraphQL 2.0.3.1, 1.4.5.1, 1.3.9, or 1.0.7 depending on your current version branch
- 1. Identify the current version of Spring for GraphQL in your project by checking your build configuration (pom.xml for Maven or build.gradle for Gradle)
- 2. Determine which version branch you are currently using (1.0.x, 1.3.x, 1.4.x, or 2.0.x)
- 3. For Spring for GraphQL 2.0.x: upgrade to version 2.0.3.1 or later
- 4. For Spring for GraphQL 1.4.x: upgrade to version 1.4.5.1 or later
- 5. For Spring for GraphQL 1.3.x: upgrade to version 1.3.9 or later
- 6. For Spring for GraphQL 1.0.x: upgrade to version 1.0.7 or later
- 7. Update the dependency version in your build configuration file
- 8. Rebuild and test your application to verify the security annotations are now properly detected in type hierarchies
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Spring For Graphql
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-41856 — 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-2026-41856 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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