VMware Spring Framework up to 5.2.22/5.3.25/6.0.6 SpEL Expression denial of service

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in VMware Spring Framework up to 5.2.22/5.3.25/6.0.6. It has been classified as problematic. Impacted is an unknown function of the component SpEL Expression Handler. Performing a manipulation results in denial of service. This vulnerability is reported as CVE-2023-20861. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in VMware Spring Framework up to 5.2.22/5.3.25/6.0.6. This affects an unknown code block of the component SpEL Expression Handler. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a denial of service vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-404. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use. This is going to have an impact on availability. The summary by CVE is:

In Spring Framework versions 6.0.0 - 6.0.6, 5.3.0 - 5.3.25, 5.2.0.RELEASE - 5.2.22.RELEASE, and older unsupported versions, it is possible for a user to provide a specially crafted SpEL expression that may cause a denial-of-service (DoS) condition.

The weakness was disclosed 03/24/2023. It is possible to read the advisory at spring.io. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2023-20861 since 11/01/2022. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 07/05/2025).

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2023-0877). Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Vendor

• VMware

Name

• Spring Framework

Version

• 5.2.0
• 5.2.1
• 5.2.2
• 5.2.3
• 5.2.4
• 5.2.5
• 5.2.6
• 5.2.7
• 5.2.8
• 5.2.9
• 5.2.10
• 5.2.11
• 5.2.12
• 5.2.13
• 5.2.14
• 5.2.15
• 5.2.16
• 5.2.17
• 5.2.18
• 5.2.19
• 5.2.20
• 5.2.21
• 5.2.22
• 5.3.0
• 5.3.1
• 5.3.2
• 5.3.3
• 5.3.4
• 5.3.5
• 5.3.6
• 5.3.7
• 5.3.8
• 5.3.9
• 5.3.10
• 5.3.11
• 5.3.12
• 5.3.13
• 5.3.14
• 5.3.15
• 5.3.16
• 5.3.17
• 5.3.18
• 5.3.19
• 5.3.20
• 5.3.21
• 5.3.22
• 5.3.23
• 5.3.24
• 5.3.25
• 6.0.0
• 6.0.1
• 6.0.2
• 6.0.3
• 6.0.4
• 6.0.5
• 6.0.6

License

• commercial

Website

• Vendor: https://www.vmware.com/

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Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

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