CVE-2023-43961 in SaToken
Summary
by MITRE • 10/25/2023
An issue in Dromara SaToken version 1.3.50RC and before when using Spring dynamic controllers, a specially crafted request may cause an authentication bypass.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/20/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-43961 affects Dromara SaToken versions 1.3.50RC and earlier, specifically when utilizing Spring dynamic controllers. This authentication bypass flaw arises from improper handling of request processing within the authentication framework, creating a critical security gap that could allow unauthorized access to protected resources. The issue stems from the way SaToken processes dynamic controller requests, where certain malformed or specially crafted requests can bypass the authentication checks that should normally validate user credentials and session tokens.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient validation of request parameters and controller mappings within the Spring integration layer of SaToken. When dynamic controllers are employed, the framework fails to properly sanitize or validate incoming request data that could manipulate the authentication flow. This weakness creates an attack surface where malicious actors can construct requests that circumvent the normal authentication sequence, effectively allowing them to access protected endpoints without proper authorization. The flaw demonstrates poor input validation practices and inadequate request processing controls that are fundamental to secure authentication systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant, as it directly undermines the core security mechanism of any application relying on SaToken for authentication. Attackers could exploit this bypass to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, perform privileged operations, or escalate their privileges within the affected system. The vulnerability affects applications that utilize Spring dynamic controllers, which are commonly found in enterprise applications, web services, and microservices architectures where dynamic routing and controller creation are implemented. This creates widespread potential impact across organizations using affected versions of SaToken, particularly those implementing dynamic controller patterns for flexible application architecture.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to SaToken version 1.3.51 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this authentication bypass vulnerability. In addition to version upgrades, system administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of authentication-related activities and conduct thorough code reviews of any custom controller implementations that interact with SaToken. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically related to improper access control mechanisms in web applications. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing techniques, as attackers could leverage the bypass to establish persistent access or exploit other attack vectors. Security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication layers and request validation mechanisms as defensive measures against similar vulnerabilities in the application architecture.