CVE-2026-22733 in Spring Security
Summary
by MITRE • 03/20/2026
Spring Boot applications with Actuator can be vulnerable to an "Authentication Bypass" vulnerability when an application endpoint that requires authentication is declared under the path used by the CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints. This issue affects Spring Security: from 4.0.0 through 4.0.3, from 3.5.0 through 3.5.11, from 3.4.0 through 3.4.14, from 3.3.0 through 3.3.17, from 2.7.0 through 2.7.31.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2026-22733 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within Spring Boot applications that utilize the Actuator component. This issue specifically targets applications where endpoint paths overlap between custom authenticated endpoints and the CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints, creating a dangerous condition where legitimate authentication checks can be circumvented. The flaw exists in multiple versions of Spring Security across different major release lines, indicating a widespread impact that affects developers and security practitioners across various application environments. The vulnerability stems from improper path matching logic that fails to adequately distinguish between authenticated application endpoints and the Actuator endpoints, allowing unauthorized access to protected resources.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the path resolution mechanism within Spring Security's authentication handling system. When an application defines endpoints under paths that conflict with CloudFoundry Actuator endpoint patterns, the authentication filter chain fails to properly validate credentials for the overlapping paths. This occurs because the security framework does not adequately differentiate between the different endpoint contexts, allowing requests to proceed through the authentication pipeline without proper credential verification. The issue is particularly insidious because it leverages the legitimate CloudFoundry Actuator functionality to bypass authentication mechanisms that should protect sensitive application endpoints. According to CWE-285, this vulnerability aligns with improper authorization checks where the system fails to properly enforce access controls, and it maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 which involves valid accounts being used to bypass security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted for affected organizations. Attackers can exploit this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive application data, perform administrative functions, or manipulate protected resources without proper authentication. The vulnerability affects applications running Spring Security versions from 4.0.0 through 4.0.3, 3.5.0 through 3.5.11, 3.4.0 through 3.4.14, 3.3.0 through 3.3.17, and 2.7.0 through 2.7.31, representing a broad range of production environments that may be at risk. Organizations using Spring Boot applications with Actuator components are particularly vulnerable, as these applications often contain sensitive operational information and administrative capabilities that should remain protected. The potential for data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and privilege escalation makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where applications handle confidential information.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2026-22733 require immediate attention from security teams and application developers. The primary recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of Spring Security that address the authentication bypass vulnerability, ensuring that all affected versions are updated to the latest stable releases. Organizations should also implement path segregation techniques to prevent conflicts between custom application endpoints and CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints, particularly by avoiding overlapping URL patterns. Additional protective measures include implementing explicit security configurations that enforce strict path matching rules, using security filters to validate endpoint access, and conducting thorough code reviews to identify potential path conflicts. Security practitioners should also consider implementing network-level controls and monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that authentication mechanisms function correctly after implementing changes, and organizations should validate that no legitimate application functionality has been compromised during the mitigation process.