Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2026-22738: Spring AI: SpEL injection is triggered when a user-supplied value is used as a filter expression key
In Spring AI, a SpEL injection vulnerability exists in SimpleVectorStore when a user-supplied value is used as a filter expression key.
CVSS 9.8 Critical EPSS 1.1% · p65
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 1.1%, percentile 65: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.1% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 65% 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.ai:spring-ai-vector-store(Maven) >= 1.0.0, < 1.0.5, fixed in 1.0.5;org.springframework.ai:spring-ai-vector-store(Maven) >= 1.1.0-M1, < 1.1.4, fixed in 1.1.4. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
In Spring AI, a SpEL injection vulnerability exists in SimpleVectorStore when a user-supplied value is used as a filter expression key. A malicious actor could exploit this to execute arbitrary code. Only applications that use SimpleVectorStore and pass user-supplied input as a filter expression key are affected. This issue affects Spring AI: from 1.0.0 before 1.0.5, from 1.1.0 before 1.1.4.
From the GitHub advisory
In Spring AI, a SpEL injection vulnerability exists in SimpleVectorStore when a user-supplied value is used as a filter expression key. A malicious actor could exploit this to execute arbitrary code. Only applications that use SimpleVectorStore and pass user-supplied input as a filter expression key are affected.
This issue affects Spring AI: from 1.0.0 before 1.0.5, from 1.1.0 before 1.1.4.
Weakness type: CWE-88, CWE-94, CWE-917.
Product: org.springframework.ai:spring-ai-vector-store (Maven) · Assigned by: vmware · Published: 2026-03-27
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | org.springframework.ai:spring-ai-vector-store | >= 1.0.0, < 1.0.5 | 1.0.5 |
| Maven | org.springframework.ai:spring-ai-vector-store | >= 1.1.0-M1, < 1.1.4 | 1.1.4 |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Spring AI | 1.0.0 < 1.0.5, 1.1.0 < 1.1.4 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| vmware | 3.1 | 9.8 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 3.1 | 9.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
- Scope: unchanged
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): 1.09% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 65.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by vmware
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-fvh3-672c-7p6c published (critical)
- — 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
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-fvh3-672c-7p6c github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-22738 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-22738 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- spring.io spring.io
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com
- github.com github.com