CVE-2023-20866: Spring Framework Spring Session Session ID Can Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r7qr-f43m-pxfr
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-20866 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) spring session session id can vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves spring session session id can be logged to the standard output stream. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.1.

CVE-2023-20866 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-20866
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r7qr-f43m-pxfr
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-20866

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.session:spring-session-core fixed: 3.0.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.session</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-session-core</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.1</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.session

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-20866, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

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 3.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.session 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. 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 Spring Session version 3.0.0, the session id can be logged to the standard output stream. This vulnerability exposes sensitive information to those who have access to the application logs and can be used for session hijacking. Specifically, an application is vulnerable if it is using HeaderHttpSessionIdResolver.

CVE-2023-20866 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.session:spring-session-core
maven/org.springframework.session/spring-session-core
Maven
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.0.1
All 1 versions
3.0.0
3.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2023-20866 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20866
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session/issues/2215
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session/commit/c98a7be0e2ced7f795018f05397dca4bd5ca8212
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://spring.io/security/cve-2023-20866

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-20866?
CVE-2023-20866 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Spring Session session ID can be logged to the standard output stream under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.1 across affected packages: org.springframework.session:spring-session-core.
What version fixes CVE-2023-20866?
Upgrading to 3.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-session-core affected?
Yes, org.springframework.session:spring-session-core is affected in releases prior to 3.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-20866?
CVE-2023-20866 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-20866?
CVE-2023-20866 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-20866?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.session'. 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-r7qr-f43m-pxfr",
  "modified" : "2023-04-22T00:06:38Z",
  "published" : "2023-04-13T21:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-20866" ],
  "summary" : "Spring Session session ID can be logged to the standard output stream",
  "details" : "In Spring Session version 3.0.0, the session id can be logged to the standard output stream. This vulnerability exposes sensitive information to those who have access to the application logs and can be used for session hijacking. Specifically, an application is vulnerable if it is using HeaderHttpSessionIdResolver.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.session:spring-session-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "3.0.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-20866"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session/issues/2215"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session/commit/c98a7be0e2ced7f795018f05397dca4bd5ca8212"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-session"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://spring.io/security/cve-2023-20866"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-04-17T17:14:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-04-13T20:15:00Z"
  }
}