CVE-2026-22733: Spring Security Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-22733 Overview

Spring Boot applications utilizing Actuator functionality are susceptible to an Authentication Bypass vulnerability. This security flaw occurs when an application endpoint requiring authentication is declared under the path used by CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints. Attackers can exploit this misconfiguration to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to protected resources.

Critical Impact

This authentication bypass vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to access protected endpoints via network-based attacks, potentially exposing sensitive application data and enabling unauthorized administrative actions.

Affected Products

• Spring Security 4.0.0 through 4.0.3
• Spring Security 3.5.0 through 3.5.11
• Spring Security 3.4.0 through 3.4.14
• Spring Security 3.3.0 through 3.3.17
• Spring Security 2.7.0 through 2.7.31

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-20 - CVE-2026-22733 published to NVD
• 2026-03-20 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-22733

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-288 (Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel). The flaw exists in how Spring Boot Actuator handles endpoint path resolution when CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints are configured. When application endpoints requiring authentication are declared under paths that overlap with CloudFoundry Actuator endpoint paths, the security configuration can be inadvertently bypassed.

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to access protected endpoints without providing valid credentials. This occurs because the CloudFoundry Actuator endpoint handling logic may inadvertently process requests intended for authenticated endpoints, effectively circumventing the authentication layer. The attack requires no privileges and can be executed remotely over the network without user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in the path matching logic within Spring Boot Actuator's CloudFoundry integration. When endpoint paths overlap between application-defined authenticated endpoints and CloudFoundry Actuator paths, the framework may incorrectly route requests through the CloudFoundry endpoint handler, which has different security constraints. This path collision allows attackers to craft requests that bypass the intended authentication mechanisms by exploiting the alternate request handling path.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires no authentication or user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by:

1. Identifying Spring Boot applications with Actuator enabled and CloudFoundry integration configured
2. Discovering endpoints that require authentication but are declared under CloudFoundry Actuator paths
3. Crafting HTTP requests to access these protected endpoints through the CloudFoundry path handling
4. Gaining unauthorized access to sensitive functionality or data exposed by those endpoints

The vulnerability affects applications where developers have inadvertently configured authenticated endpoints under paths that conflict with CloudFoundry Actuator conventions, such as /cloudfoundryapplication/*.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-22733

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected access to authenticated endpoints from unauthenticated sessions in application logs
• HTTP requests targeting CloudFoundry Actuator paths (/cloudfoundryapplication/*) from non-CloudFoundry sources
• Authentication audit logs showing successful endpoint access without corresponding authentication events
• Anomalous patterns of requests to Actuator-related paths from external IP addresses

Detection Strategies

• Review Spring Boot application configurations for endpoint path declarations that overlap with CloudFoundry Actuator paths
• Implement web application firewall rules to detect and alert on suspicious requests to CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints
• Enable verbose logging for Spring Security authentication decisions to identify bypass attempts
• Conduct security audits of endpoint path configurations using static analysis tools

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerting for access to sensitive endpoints without corresponding authentication events
• Monitor HTTP request patterns to Actuator endpoints for anomalies in source IPs or request frequencies
• Implement real-time log analysis for Spring Security authentication bypass indicators
• Deploy network intrusion detection rules for requests matching CloudFoundry Actuator path patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-22733

Immediate Actions Required

• Upgrade Spring Security to a patched version immediately (versions after 4.0.3, 3.5.11, 3.4.14, 3.3.17, or 2.7.31 respectively)
• Review application endpoint configurations to identify any paths declared under CloudFoundry Actuator paths
• Disable CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints if not required using management.cloudfoundry.enabled=false
• Implement additional network-level access controls to restrict access to Actuator endpoints

Patch Information

VMware (Spring) has released security patches addressing this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to the following minimum versions:

• Spring Security 4.0.4 or later (for 4.x branch)
• Spring Security 3.5.12 or later (for 3.5.x branch)
• Spring Security 3.4.15 or later (for 3.4.x branch)
• Spring Security 3.3.18 or later (for 3.3.x branch)
• Spring Security 2.7.32 or later (for 2.7.x branch)

For detailed patch information, consult the Spring Security Advisory for CVE-2026-22733.

Workarounds

• Disable CloudFoundry Actuator integration in application properties if not actively using CloudFoundry
• Relocate authenticated application endpoints away from paths that may conflict with CloudFoundry Actuator paths
• Implement explicit security filters to block unauthenticated access to sensitive endpoints regardless of path
• Configure network segmentation to restrict Actuator endpoint access to trusted internal networks only

# Configuration example - Disable CloudFoundry Actuator endpoints
# Add to application.properties or application.yml

# application.properties
management.cloudfoundry.enabled=false

# Or restrict actuator endpoints to specific networks
management.server.address=127.0.0.1
management.endpoints.web.exposure.include=health,info