CVE-2026-47873: Spring Tools Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2026-47873 Overview

CVE-2026-47873 affects the Boot Dashboard Docker integration in Spring Tools for Eclipse. The integration publishes container control ports on all host network interfaces (0.0.0.0) instead of restricting them to the loopback interface. This exposes developer container management endpoints to any host on the local network segment. Attackers on the adjacent network can reach these ports without authentication and interact with containers spawned by the developer's IDE.

Critical Impact
Adjacent network attackers can access exposed container control ports, leading to potential compromise of container confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

Spring Tools for Eclipse 5.2.0 and earlier
Boot Dashboard Docker integration component
Developer workstations running the affected plugin on multi-homed networks

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-30 - CVE-2026-47873 published to NVD
2026-07-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-47873

Vulnerability Analysis

The Boot Dashboard is an Eclipse view in Spring Tools that manages Spring Boot applications, including those launched inside Docker containers. When the integration starts a container, it maps control ports so the IDE can attach, debug, and manage the running application. The binding uses 0.0.0.0 rather than 127.0.0.1, causing the port to listen on every network interface attached to the developer's machine. This design choice turns a local IDE feature into a network-reachable service. This weakness maps to insecure default configuration and missing security constraints [CWE-1327 / CWE-668].

Root Cause

The root cause is an insecure default in the port publication logic of the Docker integration. Docker's -p <hostPort>:<containerPort> syntax binds to all interfaces when no host address is supplied. The Boot Dashboard omitted the 127.0.0.1: prefix when constructing the port mapping, so container control endpoints inherited the permissive default. Developers relying on the IDE had no indication that ports were exposed beyond localhost.

Attack Vector

An attacker on the same LAN, VPN segment, or Wi-Fi network as the developer can scan for exposed Boot Dashboard container ports. Once identified, the attacker connects directly to the container control endpoints and issues commands or interacts with the debug interface. User interaction is required because the developer must launch a container through the Boot Dashboard for the exposure to occur. Successful exploitation can result in code execution inside the container, data exfiltration, or disruption of the developer's workflow. See the Spring Security Advisory for vendor-supplied technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-47873

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected inbound TCP connections to developer workstations on ports assigned by the Boot Dashboard
Docker container logs showing management or debug commands issued from non-loopback source addresses
New or unexpected processes spawned inside Spring Boot containers launched from Eclipse

Detection Strategies

Inventory hosts running Spring Tools for Eclipse 5.2.0 or earlier and enumerate listening sockets bound to 0.0.0.0 originating from Docker
Correlate netstat or ss output with the parent process to identify Boot Dashboard-managed containers
Alert on Docker API calls or JMX/debug protocol traffic sourced from IP addresses outside the loopback range

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor host firewall telemetry for connections to ephemeral high ports on developer subnets
Track Docker daemon events for container port bindings that specify 0.0.0.0 on developer endpoints
Baseline normal Boot Dashboard behavior and flag deviations in exposed port counts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-47873

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Spring Tools for Eclipse to a version later than 5.2.0 that restricts container port bindings to loopback
Stop any active Boot Dashboard-managed containers until the plugin is updated
Restrict developer workstation network exposure using host-based firewall rules that block inbound traffic on Docker-published ports

Patch Information

Refer to the Spring Security Advisory for the fixed version and upgrade instructions. Users must update Spring Tools for Eclipse beyond 5.2.0 to receive the corrected port binding behavior.

Workarounds

Configure the host firewall to deny inbound connections on ports used by the Boot Dashboard except from 127.0.0.1
Run Docker Desktop or the Docker daemon on an isolated virtual network with no bridge to the LAN
Disconnect the developer machine from untrusted networks when using the Boot Dashboard
Manually launch containers with explicit 127.0.0.1:<port>:<port> bindings instead of using the affected IDE feature

bash

# Example host firewall rule restricting Docker-published ports to loopback (Linux, iptables)
iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 ! -s 127.0.0.1 -j DROP
iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 5005 ! -s 127.0.0.1 -j DROP

# Manual container launch with loopback-only binding
docker run -d -p 127.0.0.1:8080:8080 -p 127.0.0.1:5005:5005 my-spring-boot-app