CVE-2018-1272 in Spring Framework
Summary
by MITRE
Spring Framework, versions 5.0 prior to 5.0.5 and versions 4.3 prior to 4.3.15 and older unsupported versions, provide client-side support for multipart requests. When Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux server application (server A) receives input from a remote client, and then uses that input to make a multipart request to another server (server B), it can be exposed to an attack, where an extra multipart is inserted in the content of the request from server A, causing server B to use the wrong value for a part it expects. This could to lead privilege escalation, for example, if the part content represents a username or user roles.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1272 represents a critical security flaw in the Spring Framework that affects multiple versions including 4.3.x prior to 4.3.15 and 5.0.x prior to 5.0.5. This issue specifically targets the framework's handling of multipart requests, which are commonly used for file uploads and complex data transfers in web applications. The vulnerability arises from the improper validation and processing of multipart content when Spring applications act as intermediaries between clients and other servers, creating a potential attack vector that can be exploited to manipulate request data during transit.
The technical flaw manifests when a Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux server application receives input from a remote client and subsequently forwards that input to another server through a multipart request. The vulnerability allows attackers to inject additional multipart content into the request payload that is being forwarded, causing the receiving server to interpret the wrong values for specific request parts. This occurs due to inadequate boundary handling and content validation mechanisms within the Spring Framework's multipart processing logic. The flaw is classified under CWE-20 as "Improper Input Validation" and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol: DNS, though the primary concern here is data manipulation during request forwarding rather than protocol manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized access to system resources. When user credentials, roles, or other sensitive information are transmitted as multipart parts, an attacker can manipulate these values to gain elevated privileges or access unauthorized functionality. For example, if a username or user role field is transmitted as a multipart part, the attacker could inject additional content that would cause the receiving server to accept malicious values, effectively bypassing authentication and authorization mechanisms. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Spring applications often serve as API gateways or intermediaries between different system components, making the attack surface broader than initially apparent.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1272 primarily involve upgrading to the patched versions of the Spring Framework where the vulnerability has been addressed through improved multipart content validation and boundary handling. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as input sanitization, strict content type validation, and monitoring of multipart request patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and the principle of least privilege should be enforced to limit the potential damage from successful attacks. Security teams should conduct thorough code reviews focusing on multipart request handling, implement proper logging of request forwarding operations, and ensure that all Spring Framework dependencies are kept current with security patches. The vulnerability highlights the importance of validating all data received from external sources and properly handling request forwarding operations in web applications, particularly those acting as intermediaries in distributed systems.