CVE-2026-40976: Spring Framework Spring Boot's Default Security Filter Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8v8j-3hxp-93wr
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-862
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-40976 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) spring boot's default security filter vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves spring boot's default security filter chain has no authorization rule with actuator but without health. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.6.

CVE-2026-40976 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-40976
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8v8j-3hxp-93wr
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2026-40976

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Spring Framework dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.springframework.boot:spring-boot fixed: 4.0.6 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot</artifactId>
    <version>4.0.6</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.boot

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2026-40976, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.boot

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.6), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.boot command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Spring Framework, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In certain circumstances, Spring Boot's default web security is ineffective allowing unauthorized access to all endpoints. For an application to be vulnerable, it must: be a servlet-based web application; have no Spring Security configuration of its own and rely on the default web security filter chain; depend on spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure; not depend on spring-boot-health. If any of the above does not apply, the application is not vulnerable. Affected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5; upgrade to 4.0.6 or later per vendor advisory.

CVE-2026-40976 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.boot:spring-boot
maven/org.springframework.boot/spring-boot
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.0.6
4.0.6

References

NVD — CVE-2026-40976 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40976
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-boot
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40976

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40976?
CVE-2026-40976 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Spring Boot's default security filter chain has no authorization rule with Actuator but without Health under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.6 across affected packages: org.springframework.boot:spring-boot.
What version fixes CVE-2026-40976?
Upgrading to 4.0.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-boot affected?
Yes, org.springframework.boot:spring-boot is affected in releases prior to 4.0.6. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-40976?
CVE-2026-40976 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-40976?
CVE-2026-40976 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2026-40976?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.boot'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8v8j-3hxp-93wr",
  "modified" : "2026-05-06T18:54:08Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-28T00:31:41Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-40976" ],
  "summary" : "Spring Boot's default security filter chain has no authorization rule with Actuator but without Health",
  "details" : "In certain circumstances, Spring Boot's default web security is ineffective allowing unauthorized access to all endpoints. For an application to be vulnerable, it must: be a servlet-based web application; have no Spring Security configuration of its own and rely on the default web security filter chain; depend on spring-boot-actuator-autoconfigure; not depend on spring-boot-health. If any of the above does not apply, the application is not vulnerable.\n\nAffected: Spring Boot 4.0.0–4.0.5; upgrade to 4.0.6 or later per vendor advisory.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.boot:spring-boot"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40976"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-boot"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/security/cve-2026-40976"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-05-06T18:54:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-28T00:16:24Z"
  }
}