CVE-2024-38821: Spring Security vulnerable to Authorization Bypass of Static Resources in WebFlux Applications

Should you act?

Critical and remotely reachable

No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.

• No confirmed exploitation. It is not in CISA’s KEV catalog and CISA’s SSVC assessment records no known exploitation. That can change quickly after a public write-up; re-check if you are affected.
• EPSS 1.7%, percentile 78: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 78% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
• Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
• Only applies if your dependency tree includes org.springframework.security:spring-security-web (Maven) >= 5.8.0, < 5.8.15, fixed in 5.8.15; org.springframework.security:spring-security-web (Maven) >= 6.2.0, < 6.2.7, fixed in 6.2.7; org.springframework.security:spring-security-web (Maven) >= 6.0.0, < 6.0.13, fixed in 6.0.13; org.springframework.security:spring-security-web (Maven) >= 6.1.0, < 6.1.11, fixed in 6.1.11. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.

What it is

Spring WebFlux applications that have Spring Security authorization rules on static resources can be bypassed under certain circumstances. For this to impact an application, all of the following must be true: It must be a WebFlux application It must be using Spring's static resources support It must have a non-permitAll authorization rule applied to the static resources support

From the GitHub advisory

Spring WebFlux applications that have Spring Security authorization rules on static resources can be bypassed under certain circumstances.

For this to impact an application, all of the following must be true:

It must be a WebFlux application It must be using Spring's static resources support It must have a non-permitAll authorization rule applied to the static resources support

Weakness type: CWE-770, CWE-285.

Product: org.springframework.security:spring-security-web (Maven) · Assigned by: vmware · Published: 2024-10-28

Affected and fixed versions

Severity scores

• Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
• Attack complexity: low
• Attack requirements: none
• Privileges required: none (no login)
• User interaction: none

CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.

Exploitation and urgency

• CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
• CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
• FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.74% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 78.

Timeline

• 2024-10-28 — CVE record published by vmware
• 2024-10-28 — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-c4q5-6c82-3qpw published (critical)
• 2025-01-24 — CVE record last updated

Sources and references

Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.

Vulnerability records

1. GitHub Advisory GHSA-c4q5-6c82-3qpw github.com
2. CVE.org record CVE-2024-38821 cve.org
3. NVD entry CVE-2024-38821 nvd.nist.gov

Other references from the CVE record and advisory

1. spring.io spring.io
2. security.netapp.com security.netapp.com
3. github.com github.com
4. github.com github.com
5. github.com github.com

Critical Maven advisories · Today’s Security Digest