CVE-2026-47882: Spring Tools Authentication Bypass Flaw

CVE-2026-47882 Overview

CVE-2026-47882 affects Spring Tools for Eclipse when developers enable Spring Boot DevTools support for remote application targets from the Boot Dashboard. Spring Tools generates a shared secret to authenticate DevTools remote-restart uploads to the deployed application. The tool derives this secret using a non-cryptographic pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) rather than a cryptographically secure source. Attackers on an adjacent network can predict the secret and push arbitrary code to the target application through the DevTools remote-restart channel. The flaw impacts Spring Tools for Eclipse version 5.2.0 and earlier.

Critical Impact
A predictable shared secret allows adjacent network attackers to authenticate to DevTools remote-restart endpoints and deliver arbitrary code to the deployed application.

Affected Products

Spring Tools for Eclipse 5.2.0
Spring Tools for Eclipse prior to 5.2.0
Spring Boot DevTools remote application targets configured via the Boot Dashboard (for example, Docker containers or Cloud Foundry apps)

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-30 - CVE-2026-47882 published to NVD
2026-07-30 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-47882

Vulnerability Analysis

Spring Boot DevTools includes a remote-restart feature that lets developers redeploy classes to a running application over HTTP. The endpoint requires a shared secret to authenticate the uploader. Spring Tools for Eclipse generates this secret automatically when a developer enables DevTools support for a remote target from the Boot Dashboard.

The generation routine uses a non-cryptographic PRNG, such as java.util.Random, instead of java.security.SecureRandom. Non-cryptographic PRNGs produce output that an attacker can reconstruct after observing a small number of samples or by brute-forcing a limited seed space. This weakens the secret to the point where an attacker can recover or predict it.

An attacker positioned on an adjacent network segment can then authenticate to the remote DevTools endpoint and upload arbitrary class files. The DevTools remote-restart handler loads the uploaded bytecode into the running application, giving the attacker code execution in the deployed application context. The Common Weakness Enumeration category most relevant here is insecure random number generation [CWE-338].

Root Cause

The root cause is the use of a statistical PRNG for a security-sensitive secret. Cryptographic secrets must be generated from a source that resists prediction and seed recovery, such as SecureRandom on the Java platform.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network reachability to the deployed application on the DevTools port and knowledge of the DevTools endpoint path. An attacker on the same virtual network, container network, or Cloud Foundry space can predict the shared secret, authenticate to the remote-restart endpoint, and push crafted class files that execute within the application. See the Spring Security Advisory for CVE-2026-47882 for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-47882

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected HTTP POST requests to the Spring Boot DevTools remote-restart endpoint (typically under /.~~spring-boot!~/restart) from unfamiliar source addresses.
Application restart events in deployed containers or Cloud Foundry apps that do not correlate with a legitimate developer redeploy.
New or unexpected classes loaded into a running Spring Boot process after a remote-restart event.

Detection Strategies

Inventory workloads that were provisioned with DevTools remote support enabled via Spring Tools for Eclipse 5.2.0 or earlier, and treat their existing shared secrets as compromised.
Alert on any traffic to DevTools endpoints from sources outside the developer workstation range.
Correlate application redeploy events with authenticated developer sessions to identify unauthorized uploads.

Monitoring Recommendations

Log all requests to Spring Boot Actuator and DevTools paths at the reverse proxy or ingress layer.
Monitor container runtimes for unexpected class loading and child process creation from Java processes.
Forward application, ingress, and runtime telemetry to a centralized analytics platform for correlation across the DevTools attack chain.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-47882

Immediate Actions Required

Upgrade Spring Tools for Eclipse to a release later than 5.2.0 that generates the DevTools secret using SecureRandom.
Rotate any DevTools remote secrets generated by Spring Tools 5.2.0 or earlier, since those values must be treated as predictable.
Disable Spring Boot DevTools on any deployed workload where remote-restart is not actively required.

Patch Information

Refer to the Spring Security Advisory for CVE-2026-47882 for the fixed version of Spring Tools for Eclipse and upgrade instructions. Apply the vendor-supplied release, then regenerate and redeploy the DevTools shared secret for any remote target previously configured from the Boot Dashboard.

Workarounds

Remove the spring-boot-devtools dependency from any artifact that is deployed to a remote environment, so the remote-restart endpoint is not exposed.
If DevTools remote support must remain enabled, manually set spring.devtools.remote.secret to a value generated by a cryptographically secure source outside the IDE.
Restrict network access to the DevTools port using security groups, service mesh policies, or Cloud Foundry network policies so that only trusted developer workstations can reach the endpoint.

bash

# Configuration example: set a strong DevTools remote secret manually
# Generate a 32-byte secret from a cryptographic source
export SPRING_DEVTOOLS_REMOTE_SECRET=$(openssl rand -base64 32)

# Or configure in application.properties (do not commit to source control)
# spring.devtools.remote.secret=${SPRING_DEVTOOLS_REMOTE_SECRET}