CVE-2026-22735 in Spring Foundation
Summary
by MITRE • 03/20/2026
Spring MVC and WebFlux applications are vulnerable to stream corruption when using Server-Sent Events (SSE). This issue affects Spring Foundation: from 7.0.0 through 7.0.5, from 6.2.0 through 6.2.16, from 6.1.0 through 6.1.25, from 5.3.0 through 5.3.46.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/15/2026
Spring MVC and WebFlux applications utilizing Server-Sent Events functionality face a critical stream corruption vulnerability that can compromise data integrity and application stability. This vulnerability manifests when applications process Server-Sent Events streams, which are commonly used for real-time updates from server to client through HTTP connections. The flaw exists in the underlying streaming mechanisms that handle continuous data transmission, creating opportunities for malformed data sequences that can disrupt client-server communication patterns.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate handling of stream boundaries and data framing within the Spring Framework's event streaming components. When applications process SSE connections, the framework fails to properly validate or sanitize the data streams, leading to potential corruption of the continuous data flow. This occurs particularly when dealing with large volumes of events or when event data contains special characters that interfere with the underlying streaming protocol. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of the Spring Framework, indicating a fundamental flaw in the core streaming implementation rather than a localized issue.
Operational impacts of this vulnerability extend beyond simple data corruption, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate or disrupt real-time data flows that critical applications depend upon. Applications using SSE for live updates, notifications, or streaming analytics could experience partial data loss, malformed event delivery, or complete stream termination. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in high-throughput environments where continuous data streams are essential for business operations, as it can lead to cascading failures in dependent systems. Additionally, the corruption can manifest in ways that are difficult to detect, making it a stealthy threat that may go unnoticed until significant data integrity issues arise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate version upgrades to patched releases of the Spring Framework, as recommended by the vendor's security advisories. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of SSE endpoints to detect unusual stream behavior or data corruption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level protections including traffic inspection and validation of event data formats can provide additional defense layers. Security teams should also consider implementing rate limiting and connection monitoring for SSE endpoints to prevent abuse of the streaming functionality. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers could potentially exploit the corrupted streams to inject malicious payloads or manipulate application behavior through malformed event data.