CVE-2022-27772 in Spring Boot
Summary
by MITRE • 03/30/2022
** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** spring-boot versions prior to version v2.2.11.RELEASE was vulnerable to temporary directory hijacking. This vulnerability impacted the org.springframework.boot.web.server.AbstractConfigurableWebServerFactory.createTempDir method. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products and/or versions that are no longer supported by the maintainer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-27772 represents a temporary directory hijacking issue within Spring Boot applications running versions prior to v2.2.11.RELEASE. This flaw specifically targets the AbstractConfigurableWebServerFactory.createTempDir method which is responsible for creating temporary directories during application startup. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of temporary file creation processes where the system fails to adequately secure the temporary directory creation mechanism against malicious interference. According to CWE-377, this vulnerability falls under the category of insecure temporary file handling, which is a well-documented weakness in software security practices that can lead to various exploitation vectors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when Spring Boot applications initialize their web server components and attempt to create temporary directories for various runtime operations. The createTempDir method in AbstractConfigurableWebServerFactory does not properly validate or secure the temporary directory creation process, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate or predict temporary directory locations. This weakness creates opportunities for attackers to place malicious files in temporary directories, which could then be executed or accessed by the application with elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the system call level where temporary directories are created without proper access controls or validation, making it susceptible to race conditions and directory traversal attacks.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability affects organizations running unsupported Spring Boot versions that have reached end-of-life status. The exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized code execution, privilege escalation, and potential system compromise. Attackers could leverage this weakness to place malicious files in temporary directories that the application subsequently processes, creating a vector for remote code execution or data manipulation. The impact is particularly severe because it affects the foundational web server component of Spring Boot applications, potentially compromising entire application stacks. According to ATT&CK framework technique T1059.007, this vulnerability could enable adversaries to execute malicious code through the application's temporary directory handling mechanisms.
Organizations affected by CVE-2022-27772 should prioritize immediate migration to supported Spring Boot versions, specifically v2.2.11.RELEASE or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the temporary directory hijacking issue. The recommended mitigation strategy involves comprehensive application updates and thorough security assessments of all affected systems. Security teams should implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized temporary directory modifications and establish proper access controls for temporary file locations. Additionally, organizations should conduct vulnerability scanning and penetration testing to identify any potential exploitation attempts or lingering vulnerabilities in their application environments. The remediation process should include validating that temporary directory creation follows secure practices with proper permissions and that the application environment is not susceptible to directory manipulation attacks. Given that this vulnerability affects unsupported versions, organizations should also review their software lifecycle management processes to ensure timely patch adoption and avoid similar security risks in the future.